Unlikely Caseworker
by writerchic16
Summary: Monica’s new caseworker in training is an outspoken angel who doesn’t take orders. Luckily, Gloria and Tess are close by to give Monica support.
1. Chapter 1

**Unlikely Caseworker**

Summary: Monica's new caseworker in training is an outspoken angel who doesn't take orders. Luckily, Gloria and Tess are close by to give Monica support.

A/N: So, over the Christmas season, ABC Family advertised _Unlikely Angel_ with Dolly Parton. It seemed like something I would like, so I checked it out.

Basically, it's a great Christmas movie, and I think any TBAA fan would enjoy it.. _However, it's also okay if you've never seen, or don't want to see, the movie._ In the movie. Just treat the characters from the movie as your usual OC's.

Dolly Parton stars as a recently deceased self-absorbed country singer, who needs to bring a broken family – consisting of a widowed dad, a teenage daughter, and a pre-teen son – closer together in order to earn her angel wings. She not only succeeds after she steps in as a nanny (sound familiar?), but also brings together the widow and his female coworker, who has liked him for a long time. The family forgets her, but she remembers them as she is accepted into Heaven as an angel.

The movie reminded me a lot of TBAA, so the next natural step for me was a crossover fanfiction. Don't worry, though – all of the angels will make an appearance. Monica most prominently, but Gloria, Tess, and (later on for two scenes) Andrew will come in at certain times.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

About a week after Christmas, Monica had lunch with Gloria in the food court of a mall. It had been about a year since Monica was promoted to the young angel's official supervisor, and the two had grown closer than before, if that was possible. More often than not, Monica saw parallels between her early relationship with Tess and her current one with Gloria.

The sentiment helped relieve some of the hurt she felt from missing Tess so much. The elder angel still spent most of her time in Heaven, so Monica only saw Tess when an assignment called for it…which wasn't often. As for Andrew, she missed him as well. He only worked with them if the assignment happened to need an Angel of Death, and even then she might not see him much.

At the moment, the Father wanted the two to be in this mall as part of the next assignment. Monica had figured the assignment was for Gloria too, so she invited the young angel for lunch.

But as Monica finished off her White Chocolate Latte from the Starbucks stand, she was receiving word from the Father that she had made an incorrect assumption.

The two would be receiving different assignments. And therefore be separated.

Monica was hoping the caffeine from her latte would give her courage to tell Gloria the bad news.

"What's the matter, Monica?" Gloria asked, as if reading her supervisor's mind. The angel was just finishing her dessert, ice cream in a cup from the Carvel stand. "You've been quiet the whole lunch. Is there something about our next assignment that you're not telling me?"

At that, Monica downed some more of her latte before answering, "Well…yes. It's not…_our_ assignment."

Gloria frowned and put down her near-empty ice cream container. "W-what do you mean? We…we won't be working together?" The young angel already had her lip quivering and her eyes moist in anticipation.

That did not help Monica's anxiety at all. Monica lowered her eyes to avoid looking at Gloria's pitiful face. "Yes, unfortunately. Y-You'll be working on your own assignment with another supervisor."

"_What_?" Gloria exclaimed in panic, the tears falling as she grabbed Monica's hand. "The Father is giving me another supervisor? No! You're my supervisor, Monica! I don't want another one!"

Monica shook her head and tried to give Gloria a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Gloria. The situation is only temporary."

"Still…can't I work with you on your assignment, then move onto mine?" Gloria pleaded, not calmed much.

"No, I'm sorry," Monica insisted.

Gloria frowned, then formed her mouth into a full-on pout. "Then who is going to be my supervisor? Is it someone I know?"

"You could say that, little angel."

The two angels' eyes widened at the all too familiar voice. They then turned to find Tess standing next to their table, a huge smile on her face and happy tears in her eyes.

"_Tess_!" Monica exclaimed and jumped up to hug her former supervisor. "It's so good to see you! I had no idea you'd be coming!" She couldn't believe it. Just when she didn't think she could miss her any more, Tess showed up. It was further proof that the Father's timing really was perfect

Tess laughed and hugged Monica back. "Good to see you too, angel girl. The Father thought it would be a nice surprise," Tess explained as the two pulled apart. "Besides, He thought it would be easier for Gloria to be apart from you if her temporary supervisor was someone she was familiar with. And don't I get a hug, little angel?"

Gloria grinned as she stood up and hugged Tess. "I miss you, Tess."

"I miss you too, baby," Tess replied.

When the hug was over, Monica put her arm around Tess' shoulders. "I miss you so much! It's been a whole six months since your last visit!"

"I know, and it's been too long…but I'm here on business," Tess explained. The three of them sat back down at the table while she began to tell them of their next assignment. "Gloria, I'll be your supervisor for your next assignment…" As Gloria opened her mouth, undoubtedly to ask questions, Tess continued, "And that's all you need to know for now. The reason for this is that Monica will need to focus on her new caseworker."

A small yelp of panic emerged from Gloria, who surely feared that she'd been permanently replaced. Shaking her head, Tess quickly added, "Calm down, little angel. Like Monica was told, the situation is only for this assignment. Another angel is up for a caseworker position, and the Father wants Monica to guide her until she proves she is worthy for her own permanent supervisor."

Monica raised an eyebrow at that. "Why me?"

"The Father thinks that you're the only one who will be able to handle her," Tess answered with a soft chuckle. "Ruby is one of those angels who was a human before she became an angel. She's extremely headstrong, independent, and, well…blunt."

"Oh," Monica said. She had heard of these types of angels before. While those like Gloria were created as angels, there were those like Ruby. These angels were humans, but earned their wings after they died. The rare few of those had done some good deed to become a caseworker angel. "Why did God make her a caseworker?"

"Because she had to earn her wings, and she did an excellent job of it," Tess explained. "While she had to prove herself to enter Heaven, God was so impressed that he believes that she's caseworker material. But, like I said, she's not a caseworker yet."

Her brow winkled in thought, Gloria asked, "So, Monica's only her supervisor for this one assignment, right?"

"Right. Don't worry, little angel, you won't have to share Monica for long," Tess said with a laugh

While she patted Gloria's hand in reassurance, Monica asked, "When will I meet Ruby? And what is her assignment?"

"God will tell you her assignment when you need to know," Tess answered, "And you should be meeting Ruby soon." She stood up and turned to Gloria. "We better get a move on, little angel. The Father wants me to tell you the details of your assignment."

Gloria frowned, but knew better than to object and stood up. "Okay. Bye, Monica! I'll miss you!"

"I'll miss you too," Monica assured her and stood to give the young angel a hug. "I'll see you again soon," she promised "You'll be fine on your own."

"If you say so," Gloria sniffed. She gave Monica one last glance before she turned to Tess. "Where are we going?"

Tess smiled. "You'll find out when we get there." She then turned to Monica. "I'll be checking in on you. See you soon."

"See you soon, Tess," Monica replied as she breathed a small sigh of relief. At least she knew it wouldn't be another few months before she saw Tess again.

As she began to miss them already, Monica sat back down in her seat to wait for Ruby while she watched her two best friends fade into the crowd and disappear.

* * *

Monica frowned and stared down into her empty disposable coffee cup. It had been almost twenty minutes since her friends left, but there was no sign of the mysterious Ruby. Since she had time, she was beginning to wonder what she was getting into. Tess had used words like "headstrong" and "blunt," usually the makings of a difficult angel to train to be a servant of God. In so many words, Tess had even labeled Ruby "difficult" herself by saying that Monica was the only one God thought fit to "handle" her.

While Monica was very flattered by that sentiment, it didn't do much for her nerves.

_Maybe I should get another cup of coffee,_ Monica wondered. She began to go through the list of available Starbucks flavors in her head as she got up to go…

And nearly ran into a short, busty blonde woman.

"Shoot, I'm sorry!" the woman exclaimed in a thick Southern accent. "You'd think after two years as an angel, I'd have this transporting thing down pat. Hi, I'm Ruby – you're Monica, yes?"

Monica stepped back out of Ruby's personal space, speechless for the moment. Well, more like overwhelmed. She paused to take in Ruby's bold make up against her pale skin, hair piled high, and short dress that accentuated her upper body. On top of everything else, Ruby's voice was loud…loud enough that people turned to stare at her odd-sounding statement. _She's an angel?_ Monica thought in disbelief.

Then she chided herself. True, Ruby was nothing like anyone Monica had seen before. But that didn't mean Ruby couldn't be an angel. Angels came in all different types, just like humans.

Ruby raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. "You alright?"

"O-Oh, uh, yes," Monica stammered. She cleared her throat and held out her hand. "I'm your supervisor."

Ruby laughed and gave Monica's hand a firm shake. "Nice to meet you! And I _love_ your accent."

"Likewise," Monica replied. She had to laugh as well – her soft, Irish lilt was a sharp contrast to Ruby's Southern twang. "I'm, uh, looking forward to working with you."

"You too! You have a real good reputation up there, I've just been dying to meet you," Ruby gushed.

Monica could feel her face turn red. "Well, thank you. I'm finished with lunch, but if you want you could get something while we talk about your assignment…"

"Oh, no, I love window shopping!" Ruby assured her. "I know Christmas is over, but there are still some pretty decorations up. Let's go!"

They began to walk down one of the corridors adjacent to the food court. Ruby had been right – many of the store windows still had red and green displays. Garland hung across the tops of the shop fronts, and each of the light fixtures wore a big red bow.

The two came to stand in front of a large Christmas tree that reached up to the mall's second floor, lit up by small colored lights and topped with a bright, silver star. It was half covered in homemade-looking ornaments, the other half at the base of the tree in boxes that sat next to tall ladders. A few mall employees stood next to the ladders, evidently on un-decorating break since they were talking and sipping hot beverages from disposable cups.

"So, Ruby, are you eager to be a caseworker?" Monica asked. Ruby had been asking about Monica's supervisor job, and Monica had just turned the conversation around to Ruby's short time being an angel.

Ruby nodded. "Very eager. I can't wait to be around humans again. Heaven's nice and all – sometimes I can't believe I'm there, when only two short years ago I was singing in a dumpy bar. But I do miss Earth and everything that goes with it."

Monica smiled as she saw more of why God chose Ruby to be a caseworker. "Well, if you pass this assignment, you'll be coming to Earth more often."

"Oh, I know, and I'm nervous," Ruby admitted. "When I was alive, I wasn't one for helping people."

"God knows that, but He thinks you have promise. You wouldn't be here if you didn't," Monica assured her.

Ruby smiled at her temporary supervisor. "Thanks, Monica. I keep telling myself that I can do it, but I'm worried I'll let down whoever I have to help. I'm not used to people needing me."

"Don't worry, Ruby. I'll be there with you whenever you need me," Monica told her. "You'll see me during the assignment, as well."

"Oh, so this is your assignment too? I don't really know how this whole thing works, except for that one time I helped a family before I earned my wings," Ruby confessed.

Monica nodded. "Yes. You'll have your role, and I'll have mine." She paused as she received information from the Father. "I've just learned that you will be a math tutor for a rebellious fifteen-year-old girl, and I'll be the wedding planner for her father and her future step-mother's wedding."

At that, Ruby raised an eyebrow. "A _math __tutor_? _Me_? I barely finished high school!"

Monica had to laugh. She appreciated Ruby's honesty about herself. "That's alright. God provides you with all the information you need to know. I'm no expert wedding planner either, trust me."

"Oh, so that's how it works! Neat, I've always wanted to be able to understand math," Ruby remarked, causing Monica to laugh again. The two rounded the tree and continued to walk down the mall corridor while they talked. "So when do we start?"

"On Monday. The girl, Sarah Bartilson, has been failing and just got a note sent home," Monica informed her.

Ruby stopped in her tracks so quick that Monica had to double back. "S-Sarah Bartilson?" Ruby managed to stutter. "Does she have a little brother named Matthew? And the engaged couple are her father Ben and his co-worker Allison?"

"How did you know that? Did the Father tell you as well?" Monica asked in confusion.

Ruby shook her head, still shocked. "T-That was my family! The one I had to help to earn my wings!" she explained. She began to calm somewhat, but there was still disbelief in her voice. "They were totally broken apart when the mother died. Ben buried himself in work, and the kids spent all their time alone in their rooms. They weren't even going to celebrate Christmas that year, because it reminded them of their mother too much."

"Oh, my, the poor family," Monica said, also surprised by the turn of events. She felt bad for the Bartilsons. They already needed an angel once, and now things were so bad – or were going to be so bad – that they needed angels again.

"But I'm confused," Ruby explained. "Last time I checked, everything was fine. I'd gotten them talking again, and even got Ben and Allison together. What went wrong in two years?"

Monica gave her a sympathetic frown. "I don't know."

They continued walking down the corridor, silent as they window shopped. Monica could see that Ruby was concerned for the Bartilsons, but didn't quite know what to say. She wished she could reassure her that everything would be alright, but like with every assignment, the sentiment would be a hallow reassurance.

"Isn't that pretty?" Monica asked in an attempt at distraction. One of the Christmas displays still up, for a home décor store, boasted a holiday-decorated living room, at the center of which was a tall, fake tree.

But Ruby wasn't paying attention. She'd walked over to the CD store, and was staring through the large glass display window. "Oh my gosh…" she whispered.

Monica went to stand next to her, and saw what had startled Ruby so much. Or rather, who – the Bartilsons were spread out over the store. Ben and Allison looked at classic rock, Matthew was glancing at the metal, while Sarah listened to sample pop/rock music with the provided earphones.

Before Monica could stop her, Ruby had run into the music store. "Ruby, wait!" Monica called as she ran after her charge. She had a feeling that the Father didn't want Ruby to run into her assignment until the time was right.

Her feeling was proved correct when Ruby tapped Sarah on the shoulder. "Hi, Sarah! You probably don't remember me, but…"

Monica breathed a sigh of relief when Sarah didn't respond.

"Hey, why can't she hear me?" Ruby asked, her hands on her hips.

"The Father doesn't want them to meet you again just yet," Monica explained as she stood next to Ruby. They watched as Sarah, a blonde teenager small in stature, continued to listen to music and pick up one or two CDs to examine the song list on the back…all the while unaware of the two angels behind her. "He wants us to observe," Monica continued. "Which is why we're now in our angel forms. Humans cannot see or hear us in this form."

Ruby crossed her arms in an immature pout. "Well, that stinks. Why can't I say hello?"

"There must be something the Father wants us to see, which we wouldn't be able to see if we were in our human forms," Monica explained, patience in her voice. Ruby still wasn't happy about the situation, but since there was nothing she could do about it, settled for crossing her arms and watching in frustrated silence.

Monica was proved right again when Sarah began doing something that made the Irish angel's heart sink. After she checked to make sure no one was looking, or that there were no security cameras, Sarah took a CD in her hand.

Then the teen took out a pocket knife, and began to cut out the security tag.

"What? No, Sarah!" Ruby exclaimed in distress. "I don't get it! I thought the shoplifting was a one-time thing!"

Monica glanced at her. "A 'one-time thing'? What do you mean?"

"When I was the kids' nanny, Sarah also shoplifted a CD," Ruby revealed, her brown eyes still focused on the blonde teenager. "But I thought that was just to get her father's attention She shouldn't have that problem now…should she?"

"I don't know," Monica answered. She had no idea why Sarah was rebelling, apparently for the second time. Discovering the reasoning behind Sarah's actions would be Ruby's job. "A lot changes in two years. Sarah was only a wee older than a child the last time you saw her. Now she is almost a woman. Problems become much more complex."

"I guess so," Ruby agreed, as she looked on with a disappointed frown.

Sarah had succeeded in getting the tag off, and in one discreet move stuffed the evidence behind one of the CD rows. With another discreet move, she slipped the CD in her backpack. A proud smile on her face, Sarah went off to meet up with her family.

The angels followed her over to where the four family members had gathered in front of the check out counter. "Did you pick out a CD?" Allison asked.

Sarah shook her head. "No, there wasn't anything I wanted," she lied.

"Are you sure? You haven't asked me to get you anything all day," Ben replied.

"Oh, I just don't think I should ask you for every little thing anymore," Sarah said, a wide, fake smile on her face.

Ben chuckled. "If this is to make up for that note your math teacher sent home, it's not working. You're still getting a tutor on Monday."

"I know," Sarah grumbled.

The two angels traded worried glances. Sarah was shoplifting, and her family had no idea. "Looks like I've got my work cut out for me," Ruby remarked.

Monica nodded in agreement. "Yes, but don't worry. You won't have to work alone."


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I know it seems contrived, but I swear, Allison's angel figurine collection _was_ in the original movie. It was one of the aspects that inspired this crossover.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

On Monday afternoon, Allison Meyers sat at her desk in her spacious office. Both she and her fiancé Ben were top executives at the Laughlin & Brooks Advertising Agency. Deep into her work, Allison leaned back in her black leather chair and ran her hands through her thick brown hair.

She was glad she had finally managed to concentrate on the current account. Her wedding was only a month away, and her wedding planner had quit on her. Well, not so much quit on her, as went into labor. She'd wanted the best, and the best had been three months pregnant at the time. If she just had finding another wedding planner to worry about, that wouldn't be so bad.

But when it happened on top of constant doubts about her upcoming commitment, it was like a sign from above.

She loved Ben. She _knew_ she loved Ben. And she loved Ben's kids with all her heart. She wanted nothing more than to be surrounded by the Bartilson family forever.

But…there was a difference between what she wanted and what was best. She didn't know how to be a stepmother. She'd promised Matthew once that she would never try to replace the mother they'd lost. So then…what was her role? Where did she fit in? Was she supposed to be their friend and let them do whatever they wanted when their father wasn't around? That didn't sound like a good idea.

It was inevitable that the time would come where she had to cross that line from friend to mother, and she didn't know if she would be prepared. What if she never got the hang of it? Their mother had only passed away four years ago…would they see Allison as the enemy? True, she got along with Sarah and Matthew, but she wasn't married to their father yet. What would change?

She didn't want to be stepmother to kids who hated her. And she didn't want to be married to a man who hated her because she didn't know how to be a stepmother.

These thoughts had been in her head even when the previous wedding planner had been around. After that planner went into labor, Allison was considering voicing them. They'd still get their deposit back if they cancelled the hall…

Allison glanced up from her work when there was a soft knock at the door. "Come in," she called.

The door opened to reveal an auburn-haired woman about her age. "Hello," the woman greeted in a light Irish accent. "I'm Monica, your wedding planner."

"Oh, yes, of course," Allison replied as she indicated that Monica take a seat. She felt guilty leading the innocent woman on like this, when there might not be a wedding to plan. But she didn't want to fire Monica until she talked to Ben. "Um, welcome to my office. Sorry we had to meet like this, but it's the only way we could during business hours. My fiancé and I work long days."

Monica gave an absent nod in agreement, but her eyes traveled around the room. Allison let out a nervous laugh. Her office was decorated with dozens of angel figurines. "I know, it's probably not the most tasteful of decoration themes, but…"

"They're lovely!" Monica exclaimed while she picked up a small, plastic angel statue that had a coveted spot on Allison's crowded desk. It was a blonde angel who wore a long white gown and matching wings, which were indented to appear to have feathers.

"I collect them," Allison explained. "I had a few, and people just kept giving me more for various occasions. It's nice, you know? It feels like they're watching over me."

The angel still in her hand, Monica smiled. "So you believe in angels, then?"

"Yes I do, actually," Allison admitted. Funny, no one usually asked her about her beliefs when they gave her an angel figurine. They just thought it was an endearing quirk. "Do you, Monica? Or do you think it's silly to believe that these celestial beings watch over you when you need them most?"

Monica gave a short laugh, an almost knowing look in her eyes. "Trust me, it's not silly." At Allison's questioning glance, she cleared her throat and added, "I-I mean, I believe in them, too. Tell me, where did you get this one?"

"Oh, that one?" Allison answered with a small smile. The figurine was made of cheap plastic, but it was very dear to her heart "My fiancé's daughter got me that one the first Christmas after Ben and I were engaged. She saw my office before and wanted to add to my collection."

"It's beautiful." Monica was careful with the statue as she placed it back in its spot. "Your future stepdaughter sounds sweet. It's good that you seem to get along."

Allison sighed, quiet while she touched the statue's painted blonde main. Sarah's recent behavior was another reason she was hesitant to go through with the wedding. "'Seem to' is a good way to put it. We used to be good friends…but she always was a little rebellious. Once she entered high school she fell in with the wrong crowd. I _know_ that deep down she's a sweet kid, she just…needs to see the light, I guess. We used to talk, but now she just brushes me off, and…" Allison trailed off when she realized she was spilling her guts to a stranger.

"I-I'm sorry about that," Allison apologized, embarrassed. "Your first day on the job, and I start asking you about angels and ranting about Sarah. You must think I'm nuts."

Monica laughed and shook her head. "Of course not. You're just stressed. That's understandable, with your wedding coming up so soon. Part of my job is keeping the bride-to-be calm, so if you need anyone to vent to, I'm here."

"Thanks, Monica" Allison said. She gave Monica a thankful smile as she pulled her wedding file out of her desk. After her gaze fell on the figurine, she added, "You're a real angel."

* * *

Sarah inched down the high school hallway, the nurse pass clutched tight in her fist Her heart was pounding, and strands of blonde hair were plastered to her sweaty face. She gave the strand a frustrated swipe to the side, and for a brief second she missed the cropped cut she wore before her friends told her it made her look like a boy. It was still only shoulder-length, but that was too long in her opinion.

The slam of a door in the distance made her jump. Her nerves were making her crazy…and she loved it. Stuff like this gave her the thrill of adrenaline pumping through her, and therefore energy she never knew she had. It was her extremely guilty pleasure, and even better, no one except her friends knew about it. She couldn't wait to get out of there and brag to them about how she stole that CD from the mall. They would be so proud of her.

At the thought of her friends, she wondered if they were already waiting for her at the blacktop in the back of the school. While they gave her some slack since she was new at cutting classes, there were a few times where she went to meet them somewhere they weren't supposed to be, and they'd ditched her because she took too long. After she had a good cry about it, she reasoned that she better get faster at sneaking around, and quick.

"Ms. Bartilson! Where do you think you're going?"

Sarah froze. She'd been pressed up against the lockers on her way to the back door. Fortunately, she hadn't been close enough that she could still lie about it. "Oh, uh, hi Mrs. Kennedy," she greeted the stern teacher. She quickly held up the nurse's pass with one hand, and slid her free hand over her stomach, her backpack strap tight on her shoulder. "My stomach really hurt during class," she fibbed with an easy, fake grimace of pain. "I was going to the nurse's office."

Mrs. Kennedy raised an eyebrow and pointed down the hall. "Mrs. Gaskin's office is down that way."

"O-Oh, uh, I know," Sarah assured her. "I…I was just going to my locker first to get some books. I'll probably be there before the dismissal bell rings."

The petit woman crossed her arms and gave Sarah a scrutinizing glare. "Alright. Since it is the last period of the day, I'll believe you."

"Thanks," Sarah replied with a sigh of relief. She concealed her pride in her lie while she went to the staircase. At Mrs. Kennedy's look, she explained, "My locker is in the basement."

Mrs. Kennedy didn't say anything, but continued to stare after Sarah.

The sensation of the teacher's eyes on her back caused a shiver to run down her spine. Sarah quickened her pace, but not fast enough to give away her sickness lie. Once she went down the first flight of stairs, she rounded the landing and passed the door on the way to the second flight. Halfway down those flight of stairs, she paused and waited.

Sure enough, Mrs. Kennedy poked her head into the stairway and glanced out the back glass doors. Satisfied when she didn't see Sarah, the teacher turned to go back into the hallway, the smirk on her face proof that she believed she got the better of a student.

Sarah gave a confident smirk of her own when she heard the click of the teacher's heels down the hallway again. She was getting better at this. At the beginning of the school year, she would have blown her cover and gotten sent to the principal's office. Now, she was a lot better at getting away with breaking the rules, and she never got sent to the office. And to make it that much sweeter, her family thought she was reforming.

When she could no longer hear her teacher, Sarah made a dash for the back door. She threw it open, a wide smile on her face as she spotted her friends waiting for her at the end of the blacktop.

_I did it!_ She thought as she pumped her fist in victory.

"Sarah Bartilson, there you are!"

_So close…_Sarah thought as she turned around. Her jaw dropped when her gaze fell on who was probably the most unusual woman she'd ever seen "Who are you? How do you know my name?"

"Well, I'm Ruby," Ruby introduced. "I'm your new math tutor."

Sarah groaned. Then she wrinkled her brow in confusion. "Wait…then what are you doing _here_? I thought Dad said you would be there when I got home from school."

"Oh, I was supposed to. But then your dad called and asked me to pick you up to make sure you didn't skip out on your tutoring session," Ruby explained with narrowed eyes. "I got here early and decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. Good thing I did. It's now 2:15…supposedly I'm forty-five minutes early."

As she cleared her throat with a nervous gulp, Sarah glanced at her friends. The five sophomores stood there in a pack and watched, their faces a mixture of pity and amusement. They were about to ditch her if she didn't lose the crazy blonde woman fast, Sarah could just tell. "Look…Ruby, is it?" Sarah began, then put on her practiced fake smile. "I'm just getting out now because…I have last period free. Yeah, um, I thought I'd meet my friends before our meeting. So, I'll see you later…"

"Hold on there," Ruby warned as she grabbed Sarah's shoulder before the teen could run off. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but…" Ruby trailed off and grabbed the nurse pass out of Sarah's hand. "You wouldn't be needing this if it's the end of the school day for you, now would you?"

Sarah's face turned red from embarrassment at the stupid mistake. _All I had to do was put the note in my pocket,_ Sarah thought. "Oh, uh, that was from this morning. I…had a bad headache."

Ruby crossed her arms. "I gotta admire you, kid. You don't give up." As she narrowed her eyes more, she warned, "Now, your father told me that you're supposed to get out at three p.m., and that's what I'm going with. You can stand here and make excuses 'til the cows come home, or you can save us both some time and march right back to class before I call your father. Pick one."

About to reply, Sarah noticed that her friends were no longer waiting for her. They'd left to head off to the parking lot, and were climbing into the car that one of the guys had just gotten for his sixteenth birthday. Sarah wanted nothing more than to be with them at that moment. With a long sigh, Sarah turned to face Ruby and frowned. "Alright, alright, I'll go back to class. You don't have to freak out on me."

"Oh, I'll freak out all I want, and if I catch you cutting school again, I'll probably freak out even more," Ruby retorted. "Now, you go on in, and if you're not here when I come back to pick you up, you'll regret it. Let's just say that I can be mighty embarrassing if I put my mind to it."

Sarah just raised an eyebrow at her. "Trust me, I believe you."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"What about this one?" Monica asked. She held up a picture of a subtle centerpiece arrangement filled with roses. It was two days after she'd introduced herself to her assignment, and Allison had managed to get out of work an hour early to meet with Monica. The two sat in the Bartilson living room surrounded by sample books – Allison had moved in with the family as soon as she and Ben were engaged.

Monica was trying hard not to let her personal concerns get in the way of her own assignment. From what Ruby had told her about the confrontation with Sarah on Monday, Monica would have to keep a _real_ close eye on the new caseworker. She understood from the beginning that Ruby was not the most gentle soul. While Ruby had been appropriately tough _that_ time, Monica had to make sure that her charge would be able to be compassionate enough when the time came.

And then there were her worries over Gloria and Tess. She loved those two angels with all her heart, but put them together on their own for long…it was a recipe for trouble. Monica was wondering how long it would be before Gloria appeared before her in tears.

Allison gave the picture a quick glance and didn't seem to consider her answer much. "Yeah, sure, that's fine. Roses are great."

"But I was only showing you the picture for the design," Monica reminded her with a concerned look. "You said before that you wanted lilies for things like the centerpiece and potted plants at the ceremony."

Her gaze steady on the staircase to the second floor, Allison nodded, "Oh, right. Yeah, lilies, not roses."

Monica sighed and placed the picture back down on the coffee table. "Are you alright, Allison? You seem a wee bit distracted."

"Huh?" Allison shook her head and focused on Monica. "No, I…I mean, yes, I'm fine. It's just that the kids are upstairs, you know, and there hasn't been a sound from them in a little while."

"It's sweet that you're so worried about your fiancé's children. From what I've seen, it's almost like you already consider them your own," Monica remarked. She and Allison had arrived from the office at half past three to find both Sarah and Matthew in their rooms. The children had barely acknowledged the adults when Allison knocked on their doors, and only gave Monica a brief nod when introduced. It seemed that the good that Ruby had done two years ago wore off fast.

Allison gave her a small smile. "I do. I love Sarah and Matthew so much. I'll just be happy to know if they even like me at all."

"I'm sure they do," Monica assured her. For proof, she took one of the pictures of the Bartilsons and Allison from one of the end tables. The four looked like a whole family, all laughing and smiling. "They certainly look like they do in this picture."

The picture only made Allison frown. "That was taken shortly after Ben and I were engaged. Things have changed since. Back then, I was just their father's girlfriend. Now I'm going to be their stepmother. We stepmothers don't have the best reputation."

Monica laughed softly. "Just because you're going to be a stepmother, doesn't mean you have to be like Cinderella's or the evil queen in Snow White."

"I know that," Allison said with another glance at the staircase. "I just wish they did."

After a brief silence, the two got back to the wedding at much the same pace as before. Monica couldn't help but notice that Allison's heart wasn't in it. She supposed the prospect of being Sarah and Matthew's stepmother dampened the excitement some, but Allison seemed downright scared at the thought of her big day. Granted, at her age, Allison wouldn't have the same bubbly excitement as a woman in her twenties, but there was enough lack of enthusiasm for Monica to be concerned.

Monica was about to say something about it when Matthew came bounding down the stairs, a football in his hand. The small dark-haired ten-year-old nodded to them in acknowledgement, then made a beeline for the front door.

At Monica's encouraging look, Allison spoke up, "Matthew, wait! Where are you going?"

Matthew paused at the door and, with exasperation in voice, answered, "To the park with the guys. You know them. The kids down the street."

Allison nodded, but checked the time on the clock on the wall. "Matthew, your father will be home in fifteen minutes. He said he's bringing home pizza for dinner."

"So? I'll heat some up when I get back. See you later," Matthew called. He didn't give her another glance as he threw open the front door and ran outside.

Monica frowned in disapproval, but didn't say anything. It wasn't her place to tell her assignments how to raise their stepchildren. But it was clear that Matthew didn't have an ounce of respect for Allison, and she guessed that neither did Sarah.

"I know what you're thinking," Allison said as she gave a sheepish frown.

"It's just that…well…" Monica trailed off. This was one of those concerns that had to be conveyed delicately or risk offense of the recipient.

Thankfully, Allison beat her to it. "I know, and it's okay. It's not like I'm their stepmother yet. And besides, Ben doesn't mind if we don't eat dinner together. He prefers it, of course, but he doesn't force them."

"If you say so," Monica said. With a resigned sigh, she picked up the sample book from the reception hall. "Let's get back to work, then."

* * *

The next day, Ruby sat across from Sarah at the Bartilson kitchen table. Ruby only helped Sarah Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays for an hour each, so she was determined to make their time together count.

It would probably be the only thing she _could_ count. She thought she would walk into a tutoring session, and like a lightening flash, understand all the problems Sarah needed help with. Apparently, it didn't work that way. Ruby had just barely managed to answer all of the workbook questions Sarah had to do.

Ruby wished she didn't have to worry about understanding math so she could just work on her already troubled assignment. Even though Ruby didn't tell Ben about it, she could tell that Sarah was still steamed at her for sending her back to class on Monday. Sarah had been cool to her tutor during all three sessions. It was safe to say that Ruby was officially on the receiving end of the silent treatment.

Except, of course, when Sarah needed help on a problem.

"…and that's why the cost of each cup of coffee would be $2.50," Ruby finished as she slid the workbook back over to Sarah. Ruby was quite proud of herself at having successfully done yet another word problem. However, she did notice that Sarah was doing more asking than actual work.

Without so much as a "thank you," Sarah grabbed the workbook back, wrote down the answer, and passed the book back to Ruby. "What about that one?"

Ruby just raised an eyebrow.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "_Please_."

"Fine, since you asked so nicely," Ruby said with a trace of sarcasm. "But this is the last one. Now, I'll help you if you want, but this here is the last one I'm doing. Don't think I haven't noticed that you've been trying to get me to do your homework for you."

"Whatever," Sarah muttered as she slouched in her chair.

_Isn't she pleasant?_ Ruby thought with a deep sigh. She shook her head and began to read the problem aloud. "'The average age of a group of teachers and professors is 40. If the teachers average 35 years and the professors 50 years, then what is the ratio of the number of teachers to professors?' Oh, this one is like the problem we just did! You're telling me you don't understand a word of it?"

Sarah gave an apathetic shrug.

"Alright then," Ruby muttered. She was beginning to miss her other assignment, where all she had to do was turn off the electricity in their rooms to get the kids to talk to her. But like Monica had said – Sarah was older now. Nothing would be that simple. "Here. We'll make teachers equal x, and professors equal y. The formula would be '40 equals 35x plus 50y, both divided by x plus y.' Now, you work that out."

"But…"

"I have faith in you," Ruby insisted as she slid the workbook back Sarah's way.

It took Sarah some time, but she managed to complete the problem with five minutes and a calculator. Once she was done, Sarah passed the book back for Ruby to check. "Good…good…and the ratio is two to one. Hey, you did it!" Ruby praised.

"Woo. Hoo," Sarah deadpanned.

Ruby just about had enough of Sarah's attitude. "Alright, that's it. I know you're not happy that I caught you on Monday. But doesn't the fact that I didn't tell your dad say _something_? I'm not against you, here!"

"Whatever…"

"No, not 'whatever,'" Ruby insisted. "Now, you need to get better grades in math, and I need a job." Sarah didn't need to know _what_ job. "So we're going to be civil as long as we're stuck with each other, you understand?"

Sarah sighed and nodded. "Fine This whole situation bites, though. Just so you know, I hate having a tutor."

"That's fine with me. I like when people say what they mean, and mean what they say," Ruby assured her. The expression was one of her favorites. She used it all the time.

Sarah paused at that and gave her a strange look. "I've heard that somewhere before. I want to say I've heard it from you, but that's the first time you've said it since you became my tutor."

"Well, it _is_ a common expression," Ruby replied with a small, knowing smile.

Sarah shrugged. "I guess so…"

"Sarah Mae Bartilson!"

The named teen winced when her father's voice carried through the house. "I hate my middle name," she grumbled.

"Aw, I think it's cute…" Ruby trailed off at Sarah's face. "…and that's why you hate it, isn't it?" She gave a nervous glance back at the hallway that led down to the front door. "Frankly, kid, I think a cute middle name is the least of your problems right now."

Sarah just nodded. Finally, they agreed on something.

Ben Bartilson entered the kitchen, a lanky, brown-haired man with a cell phone in his hand. "Your high school just called me, wanting to know why you missed _two_ class periods today."

"Oh, Sarah," Ruby said in a disappointed voice.

With a silent glare at Ruby, Sarah turned to her father and tried to explain. "I-I wasn't feeling well, a-and I guess the nurse forgot to tell the office…"

"You know what, I don't want to hear it," Ben snapped, exasperated. From the tone in his voice, Ruby could tell it wasn't the first time he and Sarah had this fight "You said you were going to stop cutting classes, and you didn't. So now you're going to your room until I decide what to do with you."

Sarah jumped from her seat. "But Dad, you're not even listening…"

"I said _now_," Ben ordered.

A dark glare on her face, Sarah slammed her chair into the table and stomped off. Loud bangs were heard as her feet solidly connected with the wood on the way upstairs. Ben massaged his forehead as he glanced at Ruby. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"Oh, it's no…"

"I'll still pay you for the hour. See you on Monday," Ben replied. With that, he left the kitchen and headed to his home office.

Ruby gave a long sigh as she closed Sarah's forgotten workbook. "God, you were right to send me back here. They definitely need an angel."

* * *

"I'm going to meet with Allison again this weekend," Monica explained after she'd finished chewing another French fry. She and Ruby sat across from each other at a booth in a diner close to the Bartilson household. Ruby had called for Monica to give her an update, but before the two angels talked about anything, they decided to go get dinner. "I practically had to talk her into it," Monica continued with a frown. "I've never seen a bride-to-be so unenthusiastic about her wedding."

Ruby shrugged and took a sip of her soda. "Maybe she's got a classic case of cold feet. I wouldn't be surprised with all the chaos in that house."

"Oh, I don't…" Monica trailed off to consider the option. So far, she'd only been thinking of this in terms of Allison being worried that the kids didn't like or respect her. Maybe Allison had some reservations about becoming a stepmother too. "You know, you could have something there."

Her smile wide, Ruby replied, "Really? I was just saying it 'cause of the fighting. But glad I could help."

Monica smiled…but quickly frowned as she took in the other angel's words. "Fighting? Things seemed tense when I was there, but…"

"Oh, Monica, you should've seen it," Ruby began with a melodramatic sigh. "First of all, Sarah and I weren't getting along at _all_ until I straightened her out, and even then she told me flat out that she didn't want a tutor."

"What do you mean 'straightened her out'?" Monica asked. Ruby would have a hard time bonding with Sarah if she kept lecturing her. While Tess was much the same way, she was careful about picking her battles.

"Don't worry, Monica. What that teenager needs is some tough love. Between Allison letting the kids get away with murder, and her father resorting to punishment at the drop of a hat, she needs to hear the truth from _someone_. And I'm just the angel to do it." With a satisfied nod, Ruby sat back and took another sip of her drink.

Monica couldn't help herself. She laughed. What was funny wasn't Ruby's confidence in herself, but more how frank she was about it and everything else. It reminded her somewhat of Tess. "I'm sorry," Monica managed between laughter.

"What's so funny?" Ruby asked, but there was an amused smile at her lips as well.

"You are," Monica said with a shake of her head. "But I agree with you. From what I've seen and what you've told me, that does sound like the right direction to go in. Just…please be careful. You don't want to lecture Sarah so much that she refuses to talk to or tries to avoid you."

Ruby gave a solemn nod. "I know. I'm not used to holding anything in, but I'll try."

"That's good. Is that what you meant by fighting?" Monica asked.

"I wish," Ruby answered. "But how Sarah and Ben argue is much worse. Well, it's not so much arguing, as Ben yelling at her. I was there today when he came home raving mad because he got a call from her school that said she skipped two classes. You should've seen him. Wouldn't listen to a word, just told her to get in her room. From what I got, that's not as uncommon as it should be."

Monica frowned with concern. "Did you get a chance to talk to Sarah?"

"I didn't get to stick around long enough. Ben made it pretty clear that I was dismissed," Ruby answered. "It's just…it's just so hard. I'm already so attached to this family, and they have no idea."

At that, Monica paused while she received a message from the Father. "They will, eventually. When the time is right, they all will remember you."

"Really? Oh, I can't wait!" Ruby exclaimed. "But, uh, there was something I've been meaning to ask you."

"What is it?" Monica asked.

"It's just that, well, you're assigned to Allison, and I'm assigned to Sarah. Who's going to be assigned to Ben? He needs someone to make him work out his issues with Sarah," Ruby answered.

Monica paused as she silently asked the Father the same question. She hadn't been told that Ben would be receiving an angel during this assignment, but maybe the situation had changed. However, the answer she got back from the Father was probably one Ruby wouldn't want to hear. "Someone will, Ruby. But it won't be an angel."

"What? But Monica, Ben needs an angel too!" Ruby insisted.

"It is not up to me to decide who receives an angel and who doesn't," Monica explained.

Disappointed, Ruby argued, "But can't you talk to Him about it? Maybe He was one angel short on this assignment."

"Ruby, God does not make mistakes," Monica insisted while she made a conscious effort to keep patient. "If Ben is not assigned an angel, it is part of God's plan. Everything will unfold in His time."

Ruby sat back and childishly crossed her arms. "Well, I wish He'd hurry up. I'm worried about Ben. Every time I see him, he seems so stressed out."

"Don't worry, Ben will be helped in time," Monica said with a sigh. Ruby had much to learn before she became a caseworker angel.

The diner door opened, the bell above it ringing as an excited customer entered. The customer then took no time to spot the angels' booth and ran towards them. "Monica!"

It was Gloria. She rushed up to the booth, almost jumping for joy at the sight of her supervisor. "Monica! I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too, little one," Monica assured her as she got up to give Gloria a hug, which was returned with more intensity. When they broke apart, Monica indicated her charge of the moment. "Gloria, this is Ruby. Ruby, this is my caseworker and best friend, Gloria."

"Nice to meet you, Gloria," Ruby replied as she stuck out her hand, which Gloria shook. "Monica's told me all about you."

The young angel paused, and Monica knew she was reacting in much the same way Monica had – Gloria had never seen an angel like Ruby either. "Oh, uh, I haven't seen Monica for the past week, or else I'm sure she would've told me about you too." The two angels sat back down at the booth, and Monica wasn't surprised when Gloria was quick to slide in next to her.

"So how was your first week as caseworker, Ruby? What did you think?" Gloria asked. Leave it to Gloria's bursting curiosity to break the ice.

"Oh, I really like it!" Ruby answered with enthusiasm. "I gotta say though, it's just about the most frustrating thing I've ever done."

Gloria nodded in agreement. "Yes, it can be challenging…but you get the most incredible feeling when you're done. It's very rewarding to help humans, I've found."

"I'm beginning to think so, too," Ruby replied.

Monica laughed, very happy, and relieved, that her two caseworkers were getting along. "Speaking of helping humans…Gloria, how is your assignment going? Are you getting along well with Tess?"

"Oh, Tess! I know her! I met her in Heaven a short time before I met Monica," Ruby interjected before Gloria could reply.

Gloria nodded, then answered. "Yes, well, Tess and I have our differences. She doesn't get that I'm a big angel now. I can take care of myself."

"Aw, I'm sure Tess is just worried about you. Shows how much she loves you," Ruby assured her.

"Right," Monica agreed. "And Tess doesn't know how much you've grown up in the year she's been gone. You've got to give her time."

Gloria sighed. "I don't know how much time she'll have. My assignment, Scott, is pretty far gone. Drugs, stealing…if he's not careful, they're going to toss him out of high school. It's sad that I'm working as detention monitor, because it's the only way I would be able to be around him often enough to get through to him."

"That's just about one of the saddest things I've ever heard," Ruby remarked, a hand on her heart in sympathy. "I hope you get through to that boy."

"I'm trying. But it's hard because he's so closed off. He doesn't talk to anyone else in detention, let alone me," Gloria explained.

Monica gave Gloria a quick, reassuring one-armed hug and gave both of them a reassuring smile. "Don't either of you worry. Your troubles are all part of His plan. You'll reach your assignments in time."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Tess appeared in angel form in the Bartilson living room on Monday. After Gloria had come back from dinner with Monica, Tess once again realized how much she missed her angel girl. She spent so much time in Heaven that it was a rare moment that she could see the confident supervisor that Monica had become. Tess thought it only fair that she got to see, since she was the one who taught the Irish angel everything she knew.

There was a hole in Tess' heart from not being a supervisor for so long. She did love the new position the Father had provided for her. But there was a part of her that would forever miss helping caseworkers and the humans to which they were assigned. She felt like she was meant to teach, to help.

Which was maybe why she was being a little strict and overprotective with Gloria. She remembered the young angel as an inexperienced caseworker who stuck to Monica like glue. While Gloria was still attached to Monica, Tess had yet to fully acknowledge that Gloria now more or less knew what she was doing.

But she couldn't dwell on that. The Father thought her place was in Heaven, and that was where she would stay.

Tess was brought back to the present when a loud shout came from the kitchen. A young boy…Matthew, if she remembered correctly…skidded into the hallway at the base of the stairs. Tears in his eyes, he shouted down the hallway, "Just because _she_ messed up _as usual_, it doesn't mean you have to take it out on _me_!"

"Shut _up_, jerk!"

"Sarah! You are not allowed to talk to your brother that way! Go up to your room now!"

"_Fine_! You might as well lock me in there – you never let me leave anyway!"

"Oh, boy, my angel babies must have a difficult assignment ahead of them," Tess muttered to herself as Matthew ran up the stairs, a few seconds ahead of his steaming mad sister.

The angel made her way into the kitchen. Ruby sat at the kitchen table, math workbooks, folders and various school supplies spread out in front of her. Monica and Allison stood, stunned, at the kitchen island counter, which was covered with items for wedding planning. Ben stood between them, an exasperated look on his face. Tess kept herself invisible to the angels in order to observe.

All four adults winced when the slam of one door, then another came from upstairs.

Too frustrated to speak, Ben stormed out of the room.

Allison gave the two angels a helpless, apologetic look. "I'm so sorry about that. That bad grade Sarah brought home was just a last straw for Ben…he doesn't know what to do, and I…well, I'm sure you both have other places to be. Take as long as you need to pack up. Please, excuse me." With that, she ran out of the room and turned the corner into Ben's office to console her fiancé. The office door closed behind her.

As both angels let out breaths they'd been holding for who knew how long, they began to clean up their respective areas. "Well, that was a bust," Ruby lamented. "I'm sorry, Monica. I should've talked to Sarah about her bad grade before she showed it to her father, maybe I could've said something…"

"There was nothing you could've done," Monica assured her, also disappointed. "It all happened so fast. Hopefully everything will be calm by tomorrow and you can talk to Sarah about it then."

Ruby dumped the last of the objects on the kitchen table into the backpack Sarah left behind, zipped it up, and held it up with a smirk at her supervisor. "Why put off until tomorrow, what you can do _now_?"

"But…"

Monica's protests went unheard as Ruby rushed out of the room with the backpack in hand, then proceeded to tiptoe past Ben's office and up the stairs. The angel left behind let out a deep sigh while she glanced upwards. "Father, help me with her."

"He hears you, angel girl," Tess said as she revealed her presence to the Irish angel.

Though surprised, Monica gave her supervisor a big smile and rushed over to hug the older angel. "Hi, Tess! Are you _my_ supervisor on this assignment?"

"Unofficially," Tess assured her. She went over to the counter with Monica and began to help the younger angel clean up. "Gloria had detention to run, so I decided to see how you were doing. And I felt a little left out after I missed dinner last week."

Monica chuckled. "Aw, Tess, I wish you were there too. You should've seen it – Ruby and Gloria got along very well."

"I'm glad to hear that. Surprised, but glad," Tess admitted with a laugh of her own. She'd been wondering how the quiet bookworm Gloria would get along with the loud and opinionated Ruby. "How's your assignment going?"

"Alright. Allison is nice enough, but she's not very open with me. Well, she is at times, but for the most part she likes to stick to work," Monica answered. "She's thinks that the kids don't like her. I'm afraid it'll eventually affect her decision to marry Ben if she doesn't talk to him about her fears. I'm going to suggest it soon."

Tess nodded. "Good idea. How are you doing with Ruby?"

"Well, you saw," Monica said as in a frustrated wave of her hand, she gestured at the door Ruby had just gone through. "She doesn't listen very well, Tess. You can't know how exasperating it is…"

"Oh, really? _I_ wouldn't know what it's like to be supervisor to an _angel girl_ who doesn't listen all the time?" Tess asked, her voice thick with sarcasm while she narrowed her eyes at the comment's intended target.

Monica's face turned red. "So maybe you do know. And I just want to say right now that I'm _very_ sorry for all the trouble I ever caused."

"Please, it'd take a lot more than one simple apology for you to…" Tess trailed off at Monica's remorseful look. "Aw, I'm just teasing, angel girl. You know I love you."

Monica smiled again and nodded. "I know, and I love you too, Tess. I'm just worried…what if I never teach Ruby to listen? What if I fail, and she's not ready to be a caseworker in time?"

"Baby, I've known you for a long time, and I know this – when you set your mind to it, you can work miracles," Tess assured Monica. Then she gave a sidelong glance at the hallway that led to the stairs. "As for Ruby, she needs to learn that there are consequences to not listening to you. And trust me, angel girl, that's a lesson that can be learned in no time at all if the opportunity arises."

* * *

"But, Ben, can't you at least talk to her sometimes?" Allison begged. It was just after the horrible and embarrassing scene in the kitchen, and she was trying to talk Ben down. That seemed to be her job ever since she moved into the Bartilson house. Either she was trying to convince Ben to not be so hard on his daughter, or attempting to prevent Sarah from landing herself in juvenile detention. By the time she had run back and forth between sides, she was often too drained to have the smallest conversation with Matthew, and she felt awful about that too.

Basically, she was stuck in a lose, lose, lose situation, and she didn't know how to change any of it. Even if she did know, she wouldn't have enough influence in the household to make it happen.

Ben sat back in his desk chair and rubbed his face. "What would be the point, Al?" he argued. "She doesn't listen to me. Or you, or anyone else. The only thing I can do is punish her and hope it works."

"But that's just it. It _hasn't_ been working," Allison pointed out. "Isn't that some sign that just grounding her all the time isn't the best way?"

"Do you have any better ideas? 'Cause I don't," Ben retorted, his arms crossed.

Allison let out a frustrated sigh. "_Talking_. You know, it's like yelling, only softer and doesn't result in punishment."

"In a perfect world, yeah, I'd love to But if she won't talk to me, there's no point in me talking _at_ her, is there?" Ben replied

Her hands on her hips, Allison paused to think of something that would get Ben to at least try. Then she suggested, "How about if I got her to agree to talk?"

"Really, Al? I didn't realize you were one of her little rebel friends. Because those are the only people she ever talks to," Ben scoffed. "On the phone, on the computer, constantly. But my point is, you're not one of her best friends. What makes you think you'll be able to get her talk any more than I can?"

Allison smirked. "Well, I've already got one more point in my favor than you do. It's a known fact that teens are fifty percent more likely to talk to an adult the same gender as they are."

"Is it then?" Ben asked with a raised eyebrow. "Well, if you think being a woman automatically gets you an in, be my guest."

"Don't give me _too_ much encouragement and support," Allison remarked. But he just shook his head and went back to work on some papers. She'd been dismissed.

Determined, Allison marched into the hallway and up the stairs. She could do this. She was nothing if not a good listener. And she wasn't expecting a miracle, that Sarah would let loose everything that's going on in her life. Just a small, casual conversation that might get them on the right track.

"_So, uh, what website are you on?"_

"_My blog. Not that it's any of your business."_

"_Can I read some of it?"_

"_No."_

Allison paused at the door. Apparently, Sarah's tutor already beat her to it. She paused to listen as Ruby proceeded to have _her_ heart-to-heart with Sarah.

"_I brought you your backpack. I cleaned up all your stuff and threw that in too."_

"_Thanks. You want a prize or something?"_

"_No…um, I just wanted to see if you were okay."_

"_Whatever. I'm fine. So Dad yelled at me again. No big deal."_

"_Sounds like a big deal to me. Here, in this quiet house, I mean. I'm personally used to it. With my family, you were either loud or extra loud."_

Much to Allison's surprise, she actually heard Sarah let out a small chuckle.

"_Was that a smile I saw?" Ruby asked._

"_Maybe."_

_Ruby let out a deep sigh. "Look, Sarah, let's make it clear that I'm not on anyone's side here. I'm not on his side or even your side. But that doesn't mean I'm against you either. Or that I don't want to be your friend. But as your friend, I do suggest that you remember that that man downstairs is the only earthly father you've got, so you might want to make the best of the situation before it's too late."_

"_Earthly father? What other…"_

Allison saw Ruby point skywards.

"_Oh. You mean God."_

"_Yeah, A little prayer never hurt anyone either, you know."_

"_Got it…thanks, Ruby."_

"_No problem, kid."_

Frustrated tears in her eyes, Allison ran down the stairs almost on tip-toes before Ruby even got to the door._ Why can't I get Sarah to talk to me like that?_ she wondered. All she knew was that Sarah clearly didn't need her to chat with anymore.

* * *

The winter sun on her face, Ruby leaned back on a bench on the back blacktop behind Sarah's school. She felt invigorated after the success she had with her assignment the day before. Though their relationship started a little rough, Ruby had all the confidence in the world that in the end they would be good friends. "Oh, Monica, it went so well! She actually smiled!"

"Ruby, if you had stopped long enough to listen, you would have heard me tell you not to go up there," Monica replied. Rather than the support and praise Ruby had been expecting, the more experienced angel sat next to the newer angel on the bench with her arms crossed, a disapproving frown on her face.

But Ruby wasn't taking her supervisor's displeasure seriously. "Oh, you're just mad that things turned out fine even though I didn't listen to you."

Apparently, Ruby had said the wrong reply. Monica whirled around to give her an almost angry look. "Do you really think I'm that childish?"

"No, of course not! I was just teasing!" Ruby tried to assure her. She'd never seen her supervisor have a fit before, and she wasn't looking forward to seeing one.

"Good, because I'm not," Monica insisted. "Ruby, there are _reasons_ that I'm in charge! God is telling me to tell them to you, so there must be a reason for any order I give!"

Undeterred, Ruby argued, "If that's what He wants, then why does he plant these other ideas in my head?"

In response, Monica just leaned back on the bench and groaned with frustration.

Eager to change the subject, Ruby looked around and noted the time on the school clock above the back doors. "So what are we doing here anyway? I'm supposed to be meeting Sarah for her tutoring appointment like…well, now, actually. It's a quarter after three. We're meeting earlier today since Sarah has to walk to pick up Matthew from basketball practice at four thirty."

"I know. Watch," Monica said as she gestured to the back doors.

_The doors opened, and Sarah walked out with her five friends. Ruby had been expecting a moody, Goth group dressed from head to toe in black. Black seemed to be Sarah's choice in clothing color, after all. But much to her surprise the group was made up of a range of kids who didn't appear to be rebels. Most wore regular jeans and tees…one of the girls, a redhead, was downright girly in a skirt and tight t-shirt._

"Oh," Ruby whispered. She didn't need to whisper, though. Supervisor and caseworker were in angel form.

"Appearances are deceiving," Monica warned her, apparently knowing what the caseworker was thinking.

_Happy to be surrounded by friends, Sarah threw her arm around the shoulders of a dark-haired boy. He was the closest to rebel, dressed in dark, dirty jeans and a ragged t-shirt. "I'm so glad you got out of detention early," Sarah told him, a huge smile on her face._

In spite of the situation, Ruby laughed. "She's got a crush on that boy."

"Keep watching," Monica replied.

"_Wasn't hard. That monitor they got is a softie," the boy replied with a shrug._

_The redhead girl nodded in agreement and turned to Sarah. "So, like, did you call your dad yet? I want to get out of here."_

"_Yeah, before we're caught," another girl, a nervous blonde, added._

_The first girl shook her head. "No, so we can hit the mall. I so need to swipe some new earrings…and maybe a necklace…"_

"_Don't be greedy. That's how you get caught," a second dark-haired boy reminded her._

_Sarah nodded at the advice and took out her cell phone. "I'll blow Dad off now. If he doesn't buy it, I'll just make something up and say I went to my tutoring session. Ruby will cover for me."_

"_You sure?" the third sandy-haired boy asked. "You said she was an adult. A pretty old adult, not a cool young one."_

"Hey!" Ruby exclaimed. "Boy, if I could, I'd make him take that back…"

_Unbothered by the comment, Sarah assured the group, "No, it's cool. She said yesterday that she wanted to be my friend."_

At that, Monica turned to Ruby and gave her the closest thing to an "I told you so" look the Irish angel could muster. But because this was Monica, there was some sympathy in there as well.

"Oh, I know, you don't have to say it," Ruby groaned. At least her plan hadn't totally backfired. She and Sarah were somewhat closer, and that was what mattered, right?

_Meanwhile, Sarah was talking to her father on the phone. "Yeah, it's the school newspaper, they're having an open meeting and I won't be able to make my session…oh, no, I'll still be able to get Matthew. Thanks Dad, love you," she said with a sweet smile. _

_Then she hung up the phone and stuck a finger down her throat to imitate gagging. Her friends roared with laughter as the group began to make their way across the blacktop._

Disheartened, Ruby remarked, "I'm in _big_ trouble."

Then she put her head in her hands,unable to look Monica in the eye.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Thanks," Sarah said as she got out of the older boy's car. A sudden courage in her, she leaned over and kissed his cheek.

He smiled at her. "No problem, babe."

Her other friends in the car made teasing "ooooh" sounds while she slammed the door and walked up the front path. She didn't let it bother her though. Their day at the mall had been so much fun. They were all proud of her because she made her biggest swipe yet – a necklace that was fifty dollars. Before she'd stuck to small stuff like a CD or make up. She was the first girl in her group to make that step, and she could tell that her crush was proud of her.

Halfway to the door, she checked her watch. It was a quarter to five.

_Uh oh._

She was supposed to pick up Matthew a half hour ago. The theft had taken some planning and she'd gotten distracted.

Well, it wasn't five yet. Neither her father nor Allison would be home for another hour or so. She'd just bribe the little squirt to keep him quiet about forgetting him. As for him getting home, Matthew had walked home on his own before when no one else was available, so she wasn't worried about that.

Her heart returned to its normal pace at the solution. It was no big deal.

Her smile back on her face, Sarah threw open the front door…

To her father's angry glare.

Her heart racing again, she gave him a weak smile. "Sorry about that, wrong house." She then went to step back on the porch.

"Hold it right there, Sarah Mae," Ben warned as he grabbed the door before she could close it. "You are in _big_ trouble. No, no, let me rephrase that. You are in huge, massive, trouble, and you'll be lucky if you leave your room before your sixteenth birthday. Now _get in here_."

Sarah grimaced and tried to be brave as she walked into the living room. She was surprised to see her tutor there. "What are you doing here?"

"I wouldn't be too quick to snap at me, young lady. I'm your only ally right now," Ruby warned her.

Her eyes narrowed, Sarah retorted, "You wouldn't be if you'd covered for me." That had to be how her father found out this in the first place. How else could he have known that she was lying? He'd totally bought her story on the phone. Even Matthew didn't know that she hadn't been to the newspaper meeting…wait…

Ruby put her hands on her hips. "Excuse me? Just because I said I wanted to be your friend, it doesn't mean that you can use me as your personal escape route!"

"Whatever," Sarah muttered. She then put on her biggest fake grin and turned to her father. Maybe it wasn't a lost cause after all if he thought she and Ruby were talking about forgetting Matthew. "Dad, look, I'm really, really sorry I forgot about Matthew! The meeting ran late and the group ordered pizza, and you're always saying how I need to make new friends! But I was responsible because I-I…I called Ruby, and she said she really didn't mind…" She gave Ruby a pointed glance. "…right?"

Ruby just shook her head. "I'm sorry, Sarah."

Ben glared at her and crossed at arms. "Not only did you skip out on your session, _and_ lie to me on the phone about the meeting, but _now_ you're lying to my face? Sarah, what's going on with you?"

"How did you know?" Sarah asked, pointedly changing the subject.

"Well, when you said you were actually getting involved in something, I was so excited that I called the school to find out more about their newspaper," Ben explained, somewhat wistful for that momentary pride. "And boy did I feel stupid when the secretary said that my daughter was probably lying to me because the school newspaper only meets on Thursdays."

Sarah was sure her face had gone pale. She never imagined that he would bother to check with the school. Maybe she could still salvage the situation. "I-I _know_, right?" Sarah blurted. "I was so disappointed that my stupid friend gave me the wrong information! And by that point, I figured that Ruby would be gone, so…"

Ben held up his hands in frustration. "You know what, save it. I asked Ruby to come here so that you could apologize for ditching her." When Sarah didn't budge, he gestured at Ruby. "I meant _now_."

"Right," Sarah muttered. It wasn't fair! All this could've been avoided if Ruby had just lied for her. Her rebellious streak showed as she retorted, "I'm sorry you're not my friend. Actually, I don't care."

Then she made a mad dash for the stairs.

* * *

The next morning, Monica went to the Bartilson household early after she received word that she would have a chance to work on her assignment. Under the guise of needing Allison's input on wedding invitation addresses, Monica found herself treated to breakfast. "Um…Honey Nut Cheerios, please."

Allison nodded and poured the cereal into a bowl. "Skim or two-percent?"

"Two-percent, please," Monica answered from the kitchen table. It was seven in the morning, and she could hear the rest of the family moving around upstairs as they got ready for work and school. "I really appreciate this, Allison, since I just dropped in on you so early…"

As she poured milk into the bowl, Allison laughed as she answered, "It's no trouble, really. It's just a bowl of cereal."

Monica chuckled. "Thanks, but I meant me interrupting your morning like this. But there was some confusion and the invitations should really be sent out today."

"Totally understandable," Allison assured her as she got out a spoon and brought Monica the bowl of cereal. "I have extra time this morning anyway. I didn't really get much sleep last night, and after I saw the clock turn five in the morning I just gave up."

About to have a bite of cereal, Monica paused and frowned. Ruby told her about the fight that took place there the night before…maybe that had kept Allison up all night. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Any reason in particular?"

"Oh, just the usual," Allison said with a long sigh as she began to put grinds in the coffee maker. "Ben and Sarah got into a huge fight. Apparently Sarah missed a tutoring session with Ruby…her math tutor, I think you happened to meet her once."

Monica nodded. "Yes, I believe I have. What happened?"

"She skipped out, then lied to father, numerous times," Allison explained. She shook her head while she set the coffee maker. "I honestly don't know what's going on with her. I mean, she was never Little Miss Sunshine, but she's been taking it too far lately."

"Well, that's what happens with teenagers. They're growing up and need to find their identity.," Monica assured her. She made a conscious effort not to get distracted by the coffee maker, which had begun to percolate.

Allison shook her head. "I don't know how she's going to find it if she's stuck in her room twenty-four seven. I think he's too hard on her, but, why should anyone in this house listen to me?" she finished, some sarcasm in her tone.

"I'm sure the kids will in time. They're just not used to having two parents," Monica reminded her.

Allison smirked. "Wasn't talking about the kids. But thanks."

_She feels ignored,_ Monica thought while she took in the information. _Here she is, ready to commit to this family, when they won't give her the time of day._ Monica couldn't blame Allison for wanting to be an accepted member of the family. Allison probably felt like an outsider since, from what Monica had seen and been told, Ben was in charge when it came to raising the children. "Oh, Allison, these things just take time. Everything is so crazy right now. Ben is just worried about Sarah and wants to do what he thinks is best to get her back on the right track."

"That's what I keep telling myself," Allison said.

Just then, Ben and the kids came down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Good morning!" Allison greeted in an attempt at cheeriness. "Monica stopped by to ask me about…"

"But Dad, you can't ground me!" Sarah interrupted and yelled at her father.

Ben glared at her. "Weren't you already grounded for that bad grade?"

"But I thought –"

"I don't care what you were thinking, because it obviously didn't involve any common sense!" Ben argued.

Allison and Matthew stood to the side, both concerned but used to the situation. "Honey," she whispered to Matthew as she handed him a muffin, "Why don't you have breakfast on the go this morning and wait in the car, huh?"

"Good idea," Matthew agreed. "See you, Allison," he said as he took a muffin and dashed to the back door next to the kitchen table.

Monica tried to pretend that she wasn't paying attention while she quietly ate her cereal. But it was a concentrated effort. She couldn't help but notice that while Ben and Sarah argued, Allison stood to the side, helpless. Allison did that the other times, too. No wonder she felt excluded.

Meanwhile, Sarah stomped her foot. "You never listen to me! I didn't even _want_ a tutor in the first place!"

"You lost the privilege of deciding to get a tutor when your grades started slipping!" Ben retorted. "And now you've lost the privilege of coming home on your own."

Sarah's face paled. "No…b-but Dad, if you pick me up, I'll be mortified!"

"You should've thought of that before you skipped your session," Ben told her. "And for your information, _I_ can only make it two days a week. Fortunately, I talked to Ruby…"

"Dad, no!" Sarah yelped, her voice squeaking.

"And she would be _happy_ to pick you up for your sessions," Ben assured her. "Starting tomorrow, _she'll_ be picking you and Matthew up from school."

Sarah yelled out of frustration and grabbed her lunch on her way out the back door. "My life is totally over!"

"Trust me, it can be much worse!" Ben shouted after her. Without acknowledging the two women, he followed his daughter out.

Allison sighed. "Good-bye to you too, honey." Then gave Monica an apologetic look. "I'm _so_ sorry you had to see that."

"It's quite alright," Monica assured her. She was a little thrown after the whole incident, but now had a better idea of what when on there on a daily basis. And she understood even more why her assignment was having wedding day jitters.

The coffee maker beeped and startled both women. Allison gave her a sheepish grin. "Well, I guess Ben isn't here to have his usual two cups with me. I don't suppose you like coffee, Monica?"

Monica nearly choked on her cereal at the irony. "I'd love to have some."

* * *

_This is not fair,_ Ruby thought to herself. She was cleaning up the mess of books and school supplies her assignment had left all over the kitchen table. While she doubted that the gesture would do her any good, it was worth a shot, and meant that Ben wouldn't have to yell at Sarah to get her stuff later.

What wasn't fair was that she knew she was being punished when she hadn't _done_ anything. She was an angel – she couldn't lie! Especially to Ben about what Sarah was up to! She knew she'd been right not to cover for Sarah. But it flushed her relationship with her assignment down the toilet.

And it was all her fault too. If she hadn't talked to Sarah, the teen never would've felt that Ruby should have covered for her. Maybe she should've listened to Monica, at least on that point.

Now she was back to square one with her assignment. Well, scratch that – square one would be neutral. Sarah loathed her at the moment, so it was probably much more like negative square five.

The tutoring session that had just taken place was proof. Sarah was frostier to her than a snowman in freezing weather. As it turned out, the teen was an expert at the silent treatment. For a talkative angel like Ruby, the treatment might as well have been cruel and unusual punishment. The session had been downright painful.

Well, at least the situation had gotten Sarah to actually _do_ her math homework – asking for help would have required talking to Ruby. The angel thought she might need to communicate when she checked over Sarah's homework and would need to explain why certain problems were wrong, but much to her dismay, Sarah had gotten them all right. Of course she was happy about Sarah's mathematical prowess, but still.

She shoved the last of the contents in Sarah's backpack and closed the zipper when the front door opened. She peeked in the hallway and saw that it was Ben. While he and Allison worked at the same PR firm, they often left separately in the morning and arrived home at different times.

"Hi, Ben!" Ruby greeted with an optimistic smile on her face. At least angel and assignment managed to get through a whole session this time _before_ Ben could start yelling. "How was work?

"Fine." Ben let her follow him into the kitchen, where he got a drink of water before turning around to ask, "How did the session go?"

Ruby hesitated. There was no reason to start trouble by telling him about Sarah's silence. "Not bad. She got all her homework problems right. She didn't even need my help."

"Really? Maybe we should cut down to twice a week, then," Ben suggested.

Ruby too had been surprised by Sarah's accomplishment. But then she realized that the extra brain power was probably a mix of the teen's intense desire to escape Ruby, and that the homework had been a review of the week's material. "It was review," Ruby quickly explained.

"Oh, I see," Ben glanced at the clear kitchen table. "You didn't clean up for her again, did you? I've told her a million times she has to start picking up after herself."

At that, Ruby hesitated. She didn't want to lie, but she didn't want to cause more trouble either. "Well…she had to make a phone call, so I let her go." That was mostly the truth. She heard Sarah call her friend upstairs before she slammed her bedroom door.

Ben sighed. "I'll have a talk with her later."

_He's way too hard on her,_ Ruby thought with some anger. She knew Ben's idea of "talk" would be just to yell at Sarah again and dish out another useless punishment. It hurt so much when she thought of how happy the father and daughter had been when she left them two years ago.

Then, something inside her snapped. So what if Monica said that Ben didn't need an angel? Ruby was there anyway, and she might as well knock some sense into him before she left again. "Ben, I know I'm out of line here, but I just have to say it. You are _way_ too hard on that girl up there! She's just a kid!"

"She's not a kid anymore," Ben retorted.

"Fine, she's fifteen. And that's even worse!" Ruby argued. "School and friends and boys are giving her enough problems. And then she comes home, the one place she should feel loved, and you're on her back for every little thing she does! Cutting class is one thing, but nagging her about cleaning up? Come on, now! You need to have some patience with her. She's not perfect, she's just trying to make sense of everything going on around her. Maybe if you talked to her about that once in a while, actually acted like what was going on in her life was important, she'd talk back.

"And while we're at it," Ruby continued. She was on a roll. Ben was staring at her, a hardened, exasperated expression on his face. "You have _got_ to realize that you aren't the only parent in this house anymore. From what I've seen and heard, Allison gets no respect, and you don't care about that. But it's not just from the kids. You need to take her opinion into consideration now, otherwise not only is she not going to be a respected stepmother, you and her are going to have a lot of tough times, my friend."

There was a long silence while Ruby paused for breath. An eyebrow raised, Ben asked, "Are you done, Ruby?"

"Yes, I guess so," Ruby admitted, her breath jagged. Now that she was in fact done, she realized what she had just said…and regretted it. She only remembered just at that moment that she was Sarah's tutor. Not only was she totally, completely, one-hundred-percent over the line, but Ben was her _employer_. Embarrassed, she looked down. "I, uh, guess I'm fired now, so I'll be going…"

So much for being caseworker. Monica had every right to never supervise Ruby again after this spectacle.

Instead of agreeing, however, Ben held out his hand. "Wait. You're right."

But Ruby didn't let out a sigh of relief just yet. Ben waved his hand to indicate that she should follow him. He led her up the stairs and into the section of the hallway outside of both his children's rooms.

_Uh oh_, Ruby thought. While maybe she got to keep her job, she had a feeling that she wasn't going to like this. Ben's harsh tone indicated that he wasn't about to apologize to his daughter and have a long heart-to-heart.

"Kids, get out here," Ben ordered.

Within minutes, Sarah and Matthew emerged from their rooms. At the sight of Ruby behind her father, Sarah glared at both adults. Matthew had a nervous frown on his face, probably wondering what his sister had done that got him in trouble too.

Impatient to get this over with, Sarah snapped, "What?"

"Don't think I haven't noticed lately that you don't respect Allison," Ben began, and Ruby's heart sank as she watched her advice backfire. "Both of you. I may not have made this clear before, but here's the deal. She's an adult in this house. That means that you have to listen to what she says. If she tells you to do something, you do it. Do you two understand?"

Matthew looked as if he were about to cry. "Yeah, Dad."

"Whatever," Sarah muttered. "Are we done here?"

Ben waved a dismissive hand. "Yeah, go."

Both of his children went back into their rooms and slammed their doors. Ben gave Ruby a sideways glance. "Happy now?" Then he went down the stairs without waiting for her to answer.

Once he was out of earshot, Ruby muttered, "No, not really."

That hadn't been _quite_ what she meant.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

In angel form, Monica watched over her assignment late that Friday. Allison had been reading over papers for work but had just fallen asleep. She'd been waiting for Ben, who said that he would be home soon, but had yet to arrive. Matthew was over a friend's house while Sarah was up in her room, still grounded for her numerous offenses over the past couple of weeks.

_She looks so lonely,_ Monica noted. From what she knew, Allison did have a few of her own friends. But she didn't seem to have or be close to much family. Monica had a feeling that the Bartilsons were first in her life…and Allison probably wished they returned the favor.

Monica tried to focus on observing her assignment, but since Allison was asleep, her mind kept wandering off to her current problems with Ruby. In all honesty, she did like the spirited angel.

But boy, did Ruby give Monica headaches. In human form, at least.

Monica couldn't believe the mess Ruby single-handedly created. Though the new caseworker meant well, her opinionated lectures ended up resulting in harmful miscommunication. In a short time, Ruby had become the number-two enemy of her assignment (the first being Ben), and inadvertently caused even more fights between Ben and Sarah.

While Monica knew everything would work according to the Father's plan, she was having a hard time believing that His plan would involve Ruby being promoted to caseworker…or Ben and Sarah working out their intense issues. Ben and Sarah were too different, too uninvolved in each other's lives to be bothered with trying to understand each other. Ben thought Sarah was a rebellious teen who needed strict discipline. Sarah thought Ben didn't want to bother with her unless he had to punish her.

_Maybe Sarah is acting out to get attention after all,_ Monica thought at that last conclusion. She stuck by her theory that it wasn't that simple, but it could be part of the overall reason.

As for Ruby, while the task would be difficult, Monica did not want to let Ruby down. She couldn't blame Ruby for her independent streak. Monica had one herself. If Ruby wasn't promoted, it would be partly her supervisor's fault. After all, Tess had managed to train Monica. So Monica should be able to train Ruby.

If only the new angel would just _listen_ to her supervisor before she opened her mouth.

Lost in her thoughts, Monica was startled when there was a movement on the stairs. Sarah tip-toed down them, dressed to go out and her backpack slung over her shoulder. The teen began to sneak her way across the living room. Monica wasn't sure if the teen noticed Allison sleeping there.

Sarah made it past the couch, but before she was in the clear, her backpack caused a book on the nightstand to slide to the floor. The blonde winced as the hardcover landed with a loud _smack_ on the hardwood.

The noise caused Allison to stir. "Ben?" Sarah tried to sneak out, but Allison quickly wiped her eyes and saw who it was. "Sarah! Where are you going?"

"Uh…" Sarah trailed off, nervous. "To a friend's house to do this project for school. Dad said it was okay."

Allison frowned at her. "Ben didn't say anything about this."

"He doesn't tell you everything," Sarah retorted.

At that, Allison paused. Monica could tell that Sarah had struck a nerve. "Still," Allison insisted. "I doubt he would let you go when you're supposed to be grounded. What project is it?"

"Um…uh…" Sarah replied, unable to think on her feet. Then she gave a defiant shake of her head. "You know what, I don't care what Dad says, I don't have to listen to you. You're not even my stepmother yet – you're just Dad's girlfriend. I'm going."

With that, she threw open the door. She was about to storm out…then Monica heard Ben's voice from outside. Sarah had been caught.

Monica groaned and put her head in her hands. She knew Sarah had only said those things because of her father's warning the day before, and _that_…was because of Ruby.

Unable to witness yet _another_ Ben and Sarah fight, Monica left and wandered into the kitchen so she could be alone to pray.

"Father," she began as she sunk down into one of the kitchen table chairs. "I'm so sorry I haven't been able to manage things very well. I'm tryin', I promise I am. But this assignment is spiraling out of my control. I just…I don't know what to do. How does Tess do it, Father? How does she get Gloria and I to listen to her without question? I'm new at this…Gloria has always respected me from the moment she was born. But Ruby…how am I supposed to get through to her? And handle Allison at the same time? I-I…I don't know if I can do this alone. Please, Father, send me a wee bit of help. In any form. I'll take any kind of guidance you can offer me. Thank you."

There was silence, and Monica hesitated. She didn't expect immediate response, but just in case, she waited. When a minute or two passed and nothing had happened, Monica ended her prayer and stood up to leave.

…Only to come face-to-face with Tess.

"Thank you, Father!" Monica exclaimed as she threw her arms around her former supervisor, in need of consolation.

Tess returned the hug and patted Monica on the back. "It's okay, angel girl."

"No, it's not," Monica cried into Tess' shoulder. "I'm failing! I'm failing as supervisor! I'm letting Ruby down!"

"Of course you're not. According to Him, you're right on schedule," Tess assured her as they broke apart.

Monica wiped her eyes. "I am? But _how_? After what happened…"

"You'll see in the end," Tess replied. "But He does think you could use a little more encouragement, and I wholeheartedly agree. Which is why, this weekend, I'm starting as the Bartilsons' housekeeper."

"Really? Oh, thank you Tess!" Monica exclaimed, unable to believe the good news. Having Tess around would undoubtedly give her ten times more confidence.

Tess gave her a reassuring smile. "No problem, baby. Gloria would be reassigned, but her current one is near to yours and doesn't need to be altered. We've actually been very close by this whole time. Now, why don't we sit down and talk about this new caseworker of yours who's brought you to tears."

"Thank you," Monica said again. She sniffed and wiped the last of her tears as she sat down with Tess at the table to begin the story of her chaotic assignment.

* * *

Matthew woke up on Saturday morning like he always did. As a preteen, he slept until eleven, went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, then stumbled down the stairs in a tired stupor from playing video games until one in the morning. Technically Matthew wasn't supposed to, but once his father made sure he was in bed, he didn't check again.

And as usual, he wondered when his father and sister would start fighting. Or if they already started. If they were even home.

His eyes were only half-open once he reached the kitchen. On weekends, he expected it to be empty by this time. His dad and Allison spent these days either catching up on work or shopping, but lately they'd been doing errands for the wedding. His sister usually went out with her friends, but he guessed she would still be sleeping or in her room since she was grounded. Well, if both his dad and Allison were out, she had probably gone out too.

The point was, as usual, he was left alone.

The family had bonded somewhat two years ago after his father started dating Allison. He didn't remember what it was that got them together, or why the family had celebrated Christmas that season, but for some reason they had finally bonded together to become a happy family.

That lasted ten months. It was great while it lasted, but Matthew always had the fear that the family would go back to how they were. And he'd been right.

It started around when his dad proposed to Allison. Matthew and Sarah knew it would happen eventually, so they had come to accept it and acted happy when they were told the news. Matthew didn't even have to act…that much. He didn't adjust to change easily. But he did like Allison – if his dad _had_ to remarry, Matthew was glad it was her and not a would-be wicked stepmother.

But then his sister met her rebel friends. Matthew wasn't sure if his sister was acting like a juvenile delinquent in response to his dad and Allison getting engaged. If she was, it was a stupid reason. It left permanent marks on her record, and turned their house into a setting for frequent shouting matches between her and everyone around her. He wasn't going to ruin his life just because his dad was getting married again.

He preferred to sulk.

And he had plenty of time to do it. Granted, Matthew had his own friends now and somewhat of a social life. But after he came home for curfew, he was back to how it had been before – playing video games in his room all by himself.

Well, he wouldn't let it bother him. He'd get himself a bowl of cereal, then call his friends to see if they wanted to get a football game going in the park down the street.

At least, that was the plan.

There was a strange, elderly African American woman in his kitchen.

Matthew quietly stood in the doorway as he took in the scene. The woman was cleaning, wiping down the countertops and rearranging stuff in the cabinets. "Hi," he greeted, a wary tone in his voice as he inched further into the room.

The woman glanced up at him and gave him a warm smile. "Good morning, baby. Would you like me to make you some breakfast?"

"No thanks, uh, I'll just grab some cereal," Matthew answered, his voice and movements still slow. "Uh…who are you?"

"My name's Tess, and I'm your new housekeeper," Tess answered.

Matthew's eyes widened as he remembered. "Oh yeah! My dad said you were coming in today." His father and Allison had decided to hire a housekeeper for a few days a week to start getting the house in order, in preparation for when family came to stay for the wedding. "My name is Matthew."

"Oh, I know, baby. Your dad told me you'd be waking up when he and Mrs. Meyers left to pick up wedding favors," Tess replied. She then narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you sure you don't want a decent breakfast? You'll need your strength to play football."

Matthew raised an eyebrow as he took a seat at the kitchen table. "How did you know I was going to play football?"

"Your dad told me you played," Tess answered. She began to pull out a frying pan from the cabinet. "How do you like your eggs?"

Matthew paused while he tried to remember if he'd agreed to sit down to breakfast. Apparently Tess just wasn't the type to take no for an answer. "Uh, scrambled, please. Is Sarah home?" He was curious how his sister had reacted to the new housekeeper.

"Oh yes, I caught her trying to sneak out the second your father left the house," Tess replied with a chuckle. "She tried to make excuses, but one look from me, and she went right back upstairs."

"Wow," Matthew whispered. He wasn't sure whether to be scared or impressed.

The warm smile was back on Tess' face in an instant. "Do your father and Mrs. Meyers usually leave you here to fend for breakfast yourself, baby? It's a shame when families don't eat breakfast together on weekends."

"It's okay, I'm used to it," Matthew tried to assure her. "Dad and Allison are just busy with the wedding."

"So when do you get to spend time with them?" Tess asked as she began to slowly swirl two eggs around the frying pan. Matthew noticed how much butter and salt she'd applied first and was beginning to look forward to tasting them.

After he snapped out of the egg-induced trance, Matthew answered, "Uh…well…I…" he trailed off when he realized something. He _never_ spent time with them. "Sometimes…sometimes Dad will play a video game with me," he managed to answer. It was true – every rare once in a while his dad would play a video game before bed.

Tess gave him a sympathetic frown. "You don't seem okay with that."

"Well…maybe…" Matthew paused while Tess slid the eggs onto a plate and brought it over to him. Tess seemed nice, but he didn't spill his guts easily. "I don't want to talk about it."

"It's alright, baby. But if you decide you do want to talk, I'm here," Tess assured him.

Matthew hesitated, surprised. He wasn't used to having someone to talk to. His family was always busy, and he couldn't exactly have a heart-to-heart with the guys. "Thanks, Tess," he said, then stuffed his mouth full of the delicious breakfast she'd made.

* * *

From her seat at the classroom teacher's desk, Gloria watched with a wary eye as about a dozen or so "juvenile delinquents" filed in. It was her third week of detention duty, so she was almost used to the scathing looks and spit balls shot at whatever book she happened to be reading. But it still hurt.

"Hi!" Gloria greeted with a forced smile. All of the sullen demeanors and nasty attitudes even managed to put a damper on _her_ bubbly personality. "Be sure to sign in," she urged as she pointed to a clipboard with a pen attached.

Her assignment was late, as usual. Scott ambled in with his backpack over his shoulder and scribbled his name on the sheet.

"Hi, Scott!" Gloria said.

The teen ignored her and went to sit in a seat at the back of the room.

Well, that was progress. At least he hadn't retorted with some sarcastic comment.

Gloria let out a frustrated sigh. She'd been trying her hardest for two whole weeks, and her assignment wouldn't even _talk_ to her. Her only hope was that he heard the encouragement and advice she gave to the less rebellious detainees who would listen.

"Hi, Gloria!" a bright brunette named Courtney greeted from her front seat. She wasn't "bad" or "rebellious." She just had the unfortunate habit of being late to every one of her classes. "What book are you reading today?"

"_Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood_," Gloria answered as she held up the paperback. Courtney asked the question every day once she was amused to realize that Gloria brought in a different book each session. Of course, with Gloria's advanced mind, she breezed through each book before detention was over. "Have you read it?"

Courtney nodded. "Yeah, it's really good. I've read it twice. You'll like it."

"Oh, good!" Gloria replied. She was distracted when another detainee entered the room. As the blonde signed in, Gloria checked the name – Sarah Bartilson. _That name sounds familiar…_She thought as she gave the girl another once-over. She was sure she'd never seen the girl before…

Then it clicked. Gloria managed to suppress a gasp. _Ruby's assignment has detention!_

She hid her shock with a strained smile. "Hi, Sarah! My name's Gloria!"

Sarah raised an eyebrow at Gloria's perkiness. "Hi."

"Mind if I asked what you're in for?" Gloria asked tentatively. She knew some of her detainees were harsh in their response to attempts at conversation.

Her eyes lowered, Sarah muttered, "I tried to skip class."

"Oh," Gloria replied with a sympathetic frown. "Can I ask why?"

That was one question too far. "None of your business," Sarah snapped. She then turned to find a seat. "Scott!"

Gloria watched in confusion as Sarah greeted her assignment as if the two were close friends. Then, even more to her surprise, Scott gave her a smile back and indicated that she take the seat next to him. Gloria also noticed how Sarah's face lit up when he did. He even put his arm around her chair and moved it closer to him.

_Uh oh._

This wasn't good. Gloria knew what type of kid Scott was. He lived with his brother in an apartment after their parents died…and Scott sold drugs to pay his half of the rent. Gloria really hated to say it, but Sarah would only end up getting hurt in the end…emotionally or physically. The shame was that Gloria knew that Scott _was_ a good kid deep down inside. He just needed to put up harmful defensive walls and involve himself in dangerous activities to keep up his way of life. Gloria knew she could help him once she broke through those walls.

But in the meantime, the last thing Sarah needed was to be best buddies with Scott.

Gloria got her chance when she noticed that Courtney waved hello to Sarah. "Hey, Sarah," Gloria called. "Why don't you come up here and talk with us? Scott, you're welcome too, of course."

Her desk now mere inches away from Scott's, Sarah only took time to glare up at Gloria…no doubt to impress the boy next to her. "Yeah, right," she remarked, then went back to her conversation with Scott.

After a moment, the two glanced up again. "Hey, Gloria," Scott called, while Sarah tried not to laugh for some reason. "Can I go to the bathroom?"

Gloria frowned. He knew they were mocking her. It was an old trick for detention students to ask to "go to the bathroom," then never come back. "No," she answered, as much strictness in her tone as she could muster.

"You can't do that! School rules say that if the student really has to go, you have to let him. And I gotta go," Scott retorted with thinly veiled sarcasm.

"You should've went before you came," Gloria replied, proud of herself as she gave him a smug smile of her own. "Besides, according to section nine, paragraph two of the School Handbook, that rule only applies to school hours, _not detention_. Sorry." She'd read the entire handbook twice when she got her assignment.

The class gave appreciative "oooohs" while Scott sulked and crossed his arms. Sarah also seemed disappointed as she slid down in her seat.

_Oh yeah, I'm good_, Gloria thought as she gave herself an imaginary pat on her back. _Monica would be proud._


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Now this is just painful."

Ruby regretted her statement when Monica gave her an exasperated glance. "What I mean is," Ruby was quick to add. "It stinks to see her like this. I feel like it's my fault because I've been screwing up this assignment so much. When am I gonna learn to keep my big mouth shut?"

At that, Monica crossed her arms. "I've been asking myself the same question."

"Alright, I know what you're gonna say," Ruby began.

They were in angelic form in the classroom where Sarah had detention. Both angels were surprised to see Gloria there, who was trying with all her might not to acknowledge the other angels in front of the students. But they weren't there to socialize with Gloria. They were watching over Sarah in detention before Ruby picked her up for their first tutoring session of the week.

Ruby just knew Monica would take the opportunity to lecture her about her impromptu speech to Ben a few days ago. A little preemptive measure couldn't hurt. "And I know I really put my foot in it this time."

"Oh, Ruby," Monica sighed.

"It's just that," Ruby continued," Last time, I kind of got close to Ben. A little _too_ close, if you know what I mean."

Monica gave her a surprised glance. "But weren't you…"

"Apparently, being dead doesn't mean you don't have…feelings," Ruby went on, again unable to look Monica in the eye. "Even though I wasn't an angel yet, I was still forbidden from falling in love. But I think I almost did, and…" As she realized she was revealing unnecessary information, she concluded, "My point is, Ben is very special to me…and it hurts to see him like this. I felt like I had to do something or I would burst."

There was a brief silence that seemed to go on forever. Unable to take it, Ruby added, "I know it doesn't excuse what I did. In fact, I'm probably in even more trouble. But I thought you should know that I didn't do it just because you told me not to."

Much to Ruby's relief, Monica's expression was sympathetic. "I never thought that, Ruby," Monica assured her. "I knew you always had the best intentions at heart, whenever you didn't listen to me. But the point is…you _do_ have to listen. Trust me, I found out the hard way as well. I wasn't the most obedient caseworker either."

Ruby glanced up in surprise. Now _that_ she hadn't expected. "Really?"

"Really," Monica replied. "Tess will tell you. Of course, I think you have me beat, but still. I do understand. But I learned that while you may have other ideas, what God wants is always best."

Frustrated, Ruby pouted, "I know. Up here," she said as she tapped her head. "But I don't know here," she confessed while she put a hand on her heart.

Monica gave her a confident smile. "You will. Eventually. All angels have to wait for the day when their hearts catch up to their head."

They turned their attention to the classroom when they noticed that students were beginning to leave. When Sarah left, Monica and Ruby became human to say hello to Gloria before Ruby went to pick up her assignment.

"What are you two doing here?" Gloria asked happily while she hugged them both.

Ruby glanced at the doorway Sarah had just gone through. "Last week Ben asked me to start picking up Sarah from school, since she skipped out. Man, I just know he's gonna flip out when he learns that she got detention."

"Well, there might be a few more coming," Gloria remarked. When the other angels gave her a confused glance, she explained, "She's been hanging out with my assignment, Scott. I think she _like_ likes him, you know?"

"_Like_ likes him?" Monica asked.

"One of the students, Courtney, explained it to me," Gloria replied. "Apparently, it's when two students aren't _just_ friends but aren't boyfriend and girlfriend."

Monica chuckled. "What I meant was, I thought she liked another boy Ruby and I saw her with…" Monica paused. "Oh. Tell me, Scott…black hair, blue eyes, wears dirty and ripped clothing?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Gloria exclaimed.

"Figures," Ruby muttered. So Sarah wasn't just trying to get her father's attention after all. She also had peer pressure from the boy she '_like_ liked," who not only did petty theft but dealt drugs on the side, something that Ruby suspected Sarah and her friends would be shocked to find out. "I have _got_ to talk to that girl."

* * *

Sarah wiped her eyes with her shirt sleeve while she checked her email. The tears didn't bother her, she was used to them. It seemed that after every intense fight with her father she couldn't help but become an emotional mess.

The yelling had started the second her dad got home from work. Ruby had offered to stay after the session for support, but Sarah refused. After all, Ruby was on her dad's side now, wasn't she? Hadn't she been there with him when he yelled at her about Allison? Much to her annoyance, Ruby insisted on staying anyway, and to make matters worse, Allison had invited Ruby to stay for dinner since she was there anyway.

But Sarah couldn't blame Ruby this time. No, her dad had come in revved up and ready to start yelling. It turned out that the school's policy was to call the parent's office or personal cell phone when a student got detention. Sarah couldn't have erased the message on the machine or asked Ruby to cover if she wanted.

Of course her dad had _totally_ freaked out. And of course, he hadn't listened to her at all. She tried to tell him that she'd skipped class because she was afraid of presenting a book report, but he couldn't be bothered to listen. He never cared about the reasons behind what she did. He just wanted it to punish her and be done with it.

She was sick of it. She was sick of being "the family problem child." She knew she could just be a good little girl, but what would happen then? Her dad wouldn't have to bother with her at all. At least now he had to yell at her every day. She knew that was a pretty pathetic cry for attention, but…it was something.

And then, maybe even worse, she wouldn't have any friends. Oh, the few friends she had liked her enough. But they usually hung out by shoplifting at the mall or cutting classes. How would she be able to hang out with them? She'd surely be out of the loop the first time she didn't cut a class period with them.

She shook her head and refocused on the internet conversation she was having with the other blonde in her group, Annie. Her screen name was 'BlackHeart', mostly because she didn't want it to be anything girly for when she talked to a boy. The number was her birthday since plain "BlackHeart" was already taken.

_BlackHeart812: I hate this. My dad extended my grounding to a month._

_PantherPaw17: That stinks! Did you tell him you were nervous about your presentation?_

_BlackHeart812: I tried! But as usual, he didn't listen._

_PantherPaw17: Yeah, my dad doesn't listen either, to me or my mom. When he gets home from work, he just opens a beer and watches TV._

_BlackHeart812: But that's normal. I wish my family was like that. Instead, my dad doesn't talk unless he's yelling and Allison keeps trying to be my best friend or something. Maybe my brother has the right idea – he's in his own little world. Why should I care if my dad pays attention to me?_

Her conversation was interrupted when there was a knock at the door. "Go away!" she yelled. She couldn't imagine that she'd want to talk to whoever was outside.

"Allison said to tell you that dinner's gonna be on the table in five minutes!"

Sarah rolled her eyes at Ruby's ever-annoying accent. Who talked like that? "Whatever," she muttered.

Her aggravation increased when Ruby pushed open the door and took a few steps inside. "What? Sorry, didn't hear you."

"You could have said that outside," Sarah snapped. She hated when _anyone_ came into her room without asking.

Ruby gave her an apologetic frown. "Sorry."

But she didn't move to leave.

Sarah gave her a clearer hint. "Do you _mind_? I'm talking to my friend. I –"

"Oh, who? Anyone interesting?" Ruby asked…then sat down on a chair near the computer desk.

"None of your business," Sarah retorted. She may as well just ask what Ruby wanted so she'd leave sooner. It was obvious that Ruby wanted to talk to her about something. "What do you want?"

"Well, I just wanted to talk," Ruby insisted. "We've been doing so little of that lately."

Sarah shrugged. She knew that Ruby was talking about their practically silent tutoring sessions. "So what? You're just my tutor."

"Yes, but…I did want to be your friend. Still do," Ruby replied, somewhat hurt.

"Really?" Sarah asked with sarcasm. "You seem to be on Dad's side lately. I mean, I understand. I'd want to suck up to my boss too."

"Now just you wait," Ruby interrupted, her temper flaring for an instant. "I am not on anyone's _side_. I was only with your dad on Thursday because of an…unfortunate, misunderstanding. And just because I won't cover for you when you miss a session, doesn't mean I'm not on your side either. It means I'm an adult and I can't do that kind of stuff for you. "

Sarah wasn't in the mood to listen to reason. "Whatever. Are you going now?"

"No, I uh, wanted to say something," Ruby answered. "It…occurred to me that you might be cutting classes because of your friends. Like the ones who dropped you off after you missed a tutoring session. I just wanted to let you know that it's not the end of the world if you don't want to do that kind of stuff. They might even understand."

After a brief silence, Sarah muttered, "Easy for you to say." She wasn't giving any more information than that.

"Right," Ruby said. Then she got up and went to the door. "Come downstairs for dinner. It's probably already on the table."

"Okay," Sarah snapped, then watched as Ruby left and closed the door behind her. After a second passed, she jumped up, opened the door and checked the hallway to make sure Ruby wasn't waiting for her. Satisfied, she closed it and went back to her conversation.

_PantherPaw17: Aw, every family is dysfunctional. You're just going through a bad time right now. Wait it out._

_PantherPaw17: …you there?_

_BlackHeart812: yeah I'm here. Ruby just _walked in here_ without asking. When is she going to get that I'm not looking for a guidance counselor??_

_PantherPaw17: Yeah, she's only your tutor. And that is _totally_ uncool that she just barged into your room like that._

_BlackHeart812: Ruby seems to have a problem with privacy. But I won't have to worry about that anymore._

Sarah hesitated at that last comment. She hadn't told anyone her plans so far. But she had been thinking about them so much that she was confident enough by then to share. No one could talk her out of them.

_PantherPaw17: …why? Are you getting better at math?_

_BlackHeart812: As if. Look, you know how Scott has his own apartment?_

_PantherPaw17: uh…yeah_

_BlackHeart812: I know this sounds totally six-year-old, but I'm running away from home. To Scott's apartment. He doesn't know it yet, but I am._

* * *

The next day, Monica met with Allison again to go over who had RSVP'd so far. Since Allison had a full work day, she invited Monica to come over when she got home from work. Monica was waiting at the door with her official wedding planner briefcase in hand. "Hello, Allison. How was your day?"

"Busy and I'm glad it's over," Allison replied with feigned lightness in her tone. Then she noticed that Monica had been waiting for her. "I'm so sorry. You haven't been waiting too long, have you?"

"No, not at all," Monica assured her as Allison opened the fro nt door. It was the truth. Monica had split the day between watching over her assignment and helping Ruby with hers. She only popped over to the Bartilson home when Allison called her and said she was getting out of work.

Her time spent with Ruby had been heartbreaking. Both angels learned quick enough that Sarah was planning to run away, after Ruby watched over her the night before. Sarah planned to go to school as usual, then when the group hung out at Scott's apartment after skipping classes, she wouldn't leave. From what they learned from Gloria, Scott wouldn't like that too much, but wouldn't turn her away. He did care about his friends and would try to "help" one in trouble, especially one he hoped to be his future girlfriend.

But as angels had to let human free will run20its course, all the angels could do was hang in there and hope for the best. Monica couldn't help but wonder how this turn of events would affect her own assignment. Through observation and talks with her assignment, she knew that Allison still doubted that she would have a place in the Bartilson family. How would she feel when one of those members ran away, and she hadn't been able to prevent it?

Monica managed to keep down a groan of aggravation as she and Allison settled down in the living room. She already wanted to help Allison through the tough time. But as the tough time hadn't been discovered yet, all she could do was wait. "So more relatives have responded?"

"Yes, they're flooding in. I had no idea how much family Ben had until I sent out fifty invitations to them," Allison said with a forced laugh. She took off her coat, too k Monica's and put them both in the coat closet. Then she pulled out a list and handed it to Monica. "There's the list. The blank ones are no and the underlined ones are yes."

Monica's eyes widened as she took the notepad. There were several pages of names. "My, your phone must've been ringing off the hook!"

"It _was_. I can't tell you how many times Ben just turned it off," Allison replied. She paused and glanced up the stairway. "Excuse me for a moment, I just want to check on the kids. Poor Ben is stuck at work. I offered to stay and help, but as usual he said he could do it on his own…" She trailed off and sighed. At the base of the stairs, she screamed up, "Matthew! Sarah! I'm home!"

A few seconds passed, and Matthew came down the stairs. "Hey, Allison…oh, hey Monica. Where's Dad?"

"He's stuck at work, honey," Allison replied, a little surprised that he had come down from his room to say hello. "Your dad is stuck at work, but he should be home in an hour…did you need to ask me anything?"

Matthew nodded. "I want to play video games at Tommy's house after dinner. Is that okay? I can ask you for permission instead of Dad right?"

"Yes you can," Allison said, and hung her head in embarrassment. "And you can go to your friend's house after dinner."

"Thanks," Matthew said, then he turned and ran back upstairs.

Monica frowned at the display. While it was nice that Matthew had _shown_ respect for Allison, it was clear he was only doing it because his father had asked him. And Allison had been embarrassed because she knew that. But Monica couldn't remark specifically on it because she wasn't supposed to know what Ruby had seen. So all she could say was, "Well, um, that's different."

"I know," Allison almost snapped. Then in a quieter voice she added, "I _can't_ believe Ben did that."

"Did what?" Monica asked, forced to feign confusion.

Allison shook her head in disbelief. "Last week, Ben basically lectured the kids about how they needed to respect me, _when I wasn't even there_. He had no right to do it, and you can't just _command_ respect like that – it has to be earned. I told Ben all this over the weekend and he just bru shed me off. Monica, how am I going to get him to listen?"

"I don't know," Monica admitted. She'd been assigned to help Allison find her place in the family. Monica couldn't find it for her.

Frustrated, Allison shook her head again and shouted up the stairs. "Sarah?" When no response came, she screamed, "_Sarah_? You there?"

Silence. Allison gave Monica a worried glance and rushed up the stairs, the angel right behind her. "Sarah, honey?" =2 0Allison asked as she knocked on the teen's door. She hesitated, then pushed open the door with determination. "Sarah…oh."

The room was empty.

"Wasn't…Sarah grounded?" Monica pointed out.

Allison's face paled while she looked around the room. "I know, I know. Something's not right. A lot of her clothes that were on the floor are gone, and…" She wandered over to the dresser. "Her jewelry box full of her mother's old jewelry, it's gone too. She wouldn't take that with her unless…"

"She was running away?" Monica asked. She'd wandered over to Sarah's desk and found a note. She held that note up and let Allison grab it.

The remaining color left Allison's face. "Oh God." She cleared her throat and began to read. 'Dad…I'm sick and tired of fighting with you, so now, you won't have to deal with me anymore. I'm running away, and don't bother to try and find me…although I doubt you will. You'll all be better off without me and you know it. Sarah.'" Allison let the note fall to the floor and the tears from her eyes. "Oh my God, Monica…" Then she stood there as she began to sob.

"Oh, Allison, don't worry, we'll find her," Monica assured her, overwhelmed but relieved that she could finally help. The angel then took the distraught woman in a comforting embrace


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Ben stared at the advertising campaign spread out on his desk. It was for an old superstore chain that had recently switched to their agency. The various print ads spread out before him featured a happy family shopping at one of the stores.

One of the magazine ads held in his hand, he couldn't help but feel like a hypocrite. Here he was telling other families they should be perfect like that, when his own was a disaster. The family in the photo was made up of a mom, a dad, a teen, and a young child. All were happy together as they held up various items. He knew it was so fake, yet it was enough to make him guilty that his own family wasn't like that.

The guilt was nothing new though. Ever since his wife died four years ago, he tried to keep the family had left close together. But soon enough it all fell apart, no matter what he did. He was a failure as a father and he knew that.

Then Allison came into their lives. His guilt subsided a little when he realized he would finally find a mother for his children, so who desperately needed someone maternal for guidance. Before his wife died, he was the fun guy who took them to the park on weekends and taught them how to ride bikes. He had no clue how to handle the emotional stuff, which was probably why they were so broken in the first place.

But even then he managed to screw it all up. Now, not only were his kids crying for his attention and help, which he was either too busy or too tired or too inept to give, but he was pretty sure that Allison was feeling ignored too. He never meant to exclude Allison. But he couldn't help but feel…and he knew it was wrong…feel that they were _his_ kids, so _he_ should be the one to make decisions when it came to their upbringing. And he knew Allison meant well, but really…what experience did she have raising kids? Again, he knew that was a horrible thought, but these were his kids and he had to do what he knew was best.

Unfortunately, his best didn't seem to be working too well. He had no _idea_ how to handle Sarah, and he was really starting to worry about when she got so out of control that there was no turning back.

He was distracted when the desk phone rang. "Ben Bartilson." His eyes widened when his fiancé's hysterical cries came over the phone. "I'm sorry, honey, I can't understand you…what happened to Sarah?" His heart started beating so fast he was sure it would burst through his chest.

There was a noise on the phone as it was passed to someone else. "_Hello, Ben? Sorry, Allison passed the phone to me and…_"

"Me? Who's 'me'?" Ben asked in confusion.

"_Monica, the wedding planner_," Monica reminded him. "_I just happened to be here when, um…Allison discovered that Sarah was missing._"

Ben almost dropped the phone on the desk. "What do you mean, _missing_? Are you sure? Maybe she just went to a friend's house…"

"_No, Ben_," Monica interrupted, her voice sympathetic. "_She left a note. She ran away."_

He wasn't sure what happened next. One minute he was in his office looking over a campaign ad, the next he was in his car…the next forgetting his briefcase in his car as he made his way to the front door of his house. He burst into the house to find Allison, Matthew, Monica and Tess gathered in the living room.

"What…how…" he stuttered, not sure what to say. He was an emotional mix of deep, fearful concern for his daughter's safety, and anger that she could do something _so_ stupid and reckless.

Allison, her eyes red, rushed over and threw her arms around him. " Oh, Ben, I'm so sorry, I…"

"Sh, it's okay," Ben attempted to assure her, but the words sounded hallow even to him. Over he shoulder, he just noticed that Tess was there when she wasn't supposed to be working. "What are you doing here?"

Unaffected by the offensive tone, Tess explained, "I was doing some grocery shopping and picked up some things I noticed you needed last time I was here. I was dropping them off, then decided to hang around and offer support."

His head swimming from so many thoughts at once, he blurted, "I'll pay you for the groceries, but really, you don't need to…"

"Oh, don't worry about it," Tess interrupted, then put a hand on Matthew's shoulder. "Besides, someone needs to stay with Matthew while the three of you go out and look for your daughter."

Ben hesitated, his arm still around Allison's shoulder. "The three of us?"

"Yes. You, Allison, and me," Monica insisted as she came over to where they were staying. "We tried calling her friend's houses, but no one's talking. We think it might be more convincing if we showed up at their doorsteps."

At Ben's blank stare, Allison gave him a small smile. "What, you didn't think we'd let you go through this alone, did you?"

"Well, actually…"

His words were cut off when Allison and Monica pulled him out the door.

* * *

A half hour later, Allison, Ben and Monica were walking from door to door in their neighborhood, feeling much like an old group of trick-or-treaters. But they were somber as they went, so distraught over Sarah that it was a near silent march.

Allison could tell what Ben was thinking. She knew he couldn't help but be angry at Sarah for pulling a stunt like this. Of course, Allison didn't blame him for such thoughts...everyone responded to a situation in different ways. And Ben had a lot of anger pent up inside him, probably left over from his wife's early death.

While Ben was entitled to his feelings, Allison's mind was filled with other thoughts. Where had Sarah gone? Hopefully she'd run away much like a small child would and was hiding out at one of her friend's houses. But they had to realize that Sarah was not a small child. She was a fifteen-year-old who knew how to use the bus and train systems, and had her own money from a summer job at the advertising agency. It wasn't melodramatic to say that she could be anywhere by then.

_If only I'd been able to get through to her,_ Allison thought for the millionth time. _If only. Maybe I could've changed her mind._ Of course, Allison doubted that Sarah would've told her she was running away under any circumstances. But maybe if she'd been able to get Sarah to view her as an ally, Sarah wouldn't have felt like such a "problem child" that she needed to run away.

Then again, maybe Allison wouldn't have been much help. After all, it seemed that Ruby couldn't get through to Sarah, and the tutor had for whatever reason done her best trying.

At any rate, this confirmed that Sarah wasn't just a "bad seed." The note was proof that she did _want_ to be loved by her family. She just hadn't known any other way to make them realize that she wasn't simply a rebel without a cause, but had valid feelings that she didn't know how to express.

If only Ben could see that.

Allison gave him a sideways glance. He had a quick, hurried pace that put him ahead of the two women, and his face was as blank as it had been when he came home in shock. She could only hope that his silence meant that he was working all this out and realizing that Sarah didn't only cause problems, but had a lot of her own too.

They were walking on a sidewalk to another one of Sarah's friends' houses. They'd already checked a few with no success. The two teens they met had been equally resistant as they had been on the phone. All three adults could tell that the teens knew where Sarah was, but weren't telling them out of loyalty.

"What's the use?" Allison muttered, more to herself than the wedding planner...and friend, she supposed...next to her. "None of her friends are going to talk."

Monica gave her a weak attempt at a reassuring smile. "Don't think like that," she replied. "Maybe one of them will realize that Sarah should go home and will confess. If we don't get anything today, we'll try again and again until someone breaks."

"But how long will that be," Allison remarked with a long sigh. "I'm sorry, Monica. It's just hard to be very optimistic right now."

"That's understandable. But the school said she attended up until fifth period. She couldn't have gone far," Monica reminded her.

Allison bit her bottom lip. That was four hours ago. Since she didn't want to have a reasoning argument with Monica, she simply nodded. "Yes, I guess so."

They were about to pass a house when Ben stopped them. He glanced at Monica. "What was Holly's address?"

They'd gotten the addresses of Sarah's closest friends from the teens' parents. The parents they spoke with had been sympathetic and were trying to get their children to talk as well. Monica pulled the list out of her pocked. "It's this one," she confirmed and pointed to average house at the end of the nearest front walk.

Allison followed the other two up to the front door, and Ben knocked. A short woman with red hair opened it. "Oh, yes, you must be Sarah's family. I'm so sorry about what happened. I've been trying to get Holly to talk but she won't tell me anything."

"I understand, Mrs. Walker. But can you get her to come down here so we can ask ourselves?" Ben pressed.

Mrs. Walker shrugged. "Alright, but I'm not promising anything." With that, she went to the stairs and shouted, "_Holly_! Get down here right now and talk to these people!"

_"No, Mom! I promised Sarah I wouldn't tell, and that's it! And she shouldn't have to go home to parents who don't care about her anyway!"_

All the adults downstairs flinched at the remark. Mrs. Walker shook her head as she went back to the door. "I apologize for her. I'll keep working on her. Maybe two weeks without her cell phone will change her tune."

"Thank you, Mrs. Walker. We appreciate it," Allison replied. She, as well as the other two, were pale white while they walked down the path. Was that really what Sarah had been telling her friends?

The trio paused when there was someone at the end of the path. It was Ruby. Allison and Ben stood there in confusion. What was even more confusing was that for some odd reason, Monica seemed almost...angry, an emotion that until then Allison had never seen on the Irish woman.

Ben was the first to recover. "Ruby! What..."

"I was in the neighborhood and saw you three knocking on doors," Ruby asked, a concerned look on her face. "What happened?"

Much to Allison's surprise, Monica didn't reply, but stood there with her arms crossed. So Allison answered, "Sarah ran away, Ruby. We've been knocking on her friends' doors to try to get one of us to tell where she went."

"I take it you haven't had any luck so far," Ruby remarked.

Allison shook her head. "No. None of her friends will break."

"Well, let me help you then," Ruby insisted...avoiding eye contact with Monica. "I can be mighty convincing."

After a quick glance at Ben, who shrugged, Allison replied, "Sure, why not."

Monica didn't acknowledge Ruby, but brushed past her on the way down the sidewalk. The communication the first since they left the house, Ben and Allison shared looks of equal bewilderment at the odd behavior.

Then Allison glanced at Ruby again, as did Ben. There was something...newly familiar about the woman. She couldn't place it, but all of a sudden she _knew_ she'd seen Ruby before. Ben also had that look, like he recognized Ruby after not seeing her for a long time. And that was exactly what Allison was feeling.

Along with the strongest case of deja vu she'd ever had.

* * *

_I don't need a babysitter,_ Matthew thought as he glanced across the living room at Tess. Despite his assurances that he could handle himself until his family got back, the housekeeper remained by his side. He couldn't help but feel a little resentful, since she was the only reason he was there and not out with the adults looking for his sister. He was certainly old enough to join a search party.

Not that he cared his sister was gone, of course. The drama queen had probably run off with _Scott_, the guy's name he'd seen written all over her folder, for the afternoon just to make everyone worry.

It wasn't fair. They were both ignored. Why couldn't she be a grown up about it and deal, like he did? He was younger than her, but she was the one acting like a baby.

Didn't she see that her stupid rebel attitude just caused problems? Why did she have to make everything more complicated? Matthew had told her as much a few times, but it was no use. If anything, Sarah tried to make him an ally against their father. But Matthew told her several times that he wanted no part in the useless war she'd waged, and chose to bury himself in sports and video games.

A long sigh from Tess prompted him to stop ignoring her, if for a moment. The elderly woman seemed worried about something. There was a far off look on her face, as if she wasn't all there. _She's probably worrying about Sarah, like everyone else I know_, Matthew thought with some bitterness. But he had to ask, "Tess, are you okay?"

Tess shook her head. "I'm sorry, baby, what…"

"Are you okay?" Matthew asked again. "You look like you're worried about something. Understandable with my sister missing at all. But if it's okay if you don't care that much. I mean, you're only our housekeeper. I'm her brother and I'm glad she's gone."

Instead of reprimanding him like any other adult would, Tess just gave him a sad smile. "Things have been tough around here, huh, baby?"

Matthew shrugged. "I guess. Sarah just makes everything worse. You don't see me causing trouble."

"Well, that's very good of you, of course," Tess assured him. "But I can't help but wonder…are there times when you don't cause trouble, when you should?"

At that, Matthew stared at her. Surely an adult wasn't telling him to be bad? "What do you mean? I should be cutting classes and shoplifting too? Because she does shoplift. I once saw a CD in her room that still had the security tag on it."

"No, no, that's not what I mean. But I am sorry to hear that," Tess replied. She leaned forward on her easy chair during their conversation. "What I do mean, is that sometimes it's okay to speak up. Speaking up doesn't make you a trouble maker."

Matthew scoffed. "It does in this house. Dad doesn't like to hear problems."

"Well, I think everyone has to hear something unpleasant every now and then," Tess replied, confidence in her tone.

Then, much to Matthew's amazement, she began to glow with a small golden light. At first he thought for sure that it was all in his head, but then…

"Now, I tell people unpleasant things more often than you'd think," Tess continued as if nothing had happened. "But not only are these things unpleasant, but they're also true. As one of God's angels, I only tell the truth. And baby, it's time you did too."

Matthew could only stare at her. _An angel? Here for _me_?_ He couldn't help but say the first thought that came to mind. "Why are you wasting your time on me? Sarah's the one who needs to talk to an angel."

"Oh, trust me, she's got angels around her," Tess assured him. "Monica is here for Allison, but Sarah's angel is Ruby."

"_Ruby's_ an angel? No way," Matthew replied with a short laugh. He then paused in concentration. There seemed to be something tugging at the back of his mind. It was like there were a jumble of memories he was on the verge of unlocking…

Tess gave a knowing nod. "Yes, Ruby was here before. Two years ago, your family was also in trouble. You do remember that. While Sarah wasn't causing problems then, you all had enough of your own. But do you remember now what brought you together then?"

A firm "no" on the tip of his tongue, Matthew paused as a wave of memories passed through his mind. His eyes widened in surprise, both at the event itself and the hypocrisy of it all. "I ran away," he whispered. "I was upset that Dad and Allison were getting together, so I ran away. But I was a stupid kid then. I didn't even do it right…of course they would find me if I ran away to the park."

"You certainly were not a 'stupid kid' then," Tess argued. "You were just expressing your feelings the only way you knew how. Kind of like what Sarah is doing. But I'm here to tell you what you can do to fix the situation so that you don't feel like you have to run away to be heard anymore."

Matthew nearly sighed with relief. That was all he wanted. A way to make his family feel like his family again. "_How_?"

"Well, see Matthew, there's one fool-proof method that even angels use to get their message across. It's how we let them know that God loves them, and wants them to be happy," Tess revealed. At Matthew's look of pure curiosity, she laughed and explained, "It's called _talking_. You wouldn't believe how many people these days know how to do something as complex as fixing a computer, but have no idea how to talk."

_Easier said than done_, Matthew thought. "But that won't do anything. Dad doesn't care when something's bothering me."

"What you and your sister don't seem to understand is that your father is not a mind reader," Tess argued. "How is he supposed to know, when if you're upset, you hole up in your room? How is he supposed to know if that means you're upset, or just you being a typical preteen?"

Matthew paused to take in her words. He never thought of it like that. In his head, his father chose to be oblivious to everything around him. What if, through no fault of his own, he really was? "Do you think he'd listen to me?"

"Of course he would, if you give him a chance," Tess assured him.

_If you say so,_ Matthew thought. But he'd give it a try. Maybe he and his father could even have a good relationship again, like before his mother died and he and his father would play football on the weekends. But then there was still… "Hey, Tess? Since you're an angel and all, do you know if my sister is going to be okay?"

"So you do care," Tess pointed out.

Matthew shrugged. "I guess." He couldn't help it - she _was_ his sister.

"Well, I wish I could tell you, baby," Tess admitted after a moment. "But all I know is that Ruby is supposed to be with her, if it makes you feel better."

About to agree, Matthew remembered Ruby's distressed face when his father had lectured him and his sister about respecting Allison. "Has Ruby been an angel for long, Tess?"

"Not at all," Tess answered. There was definite exasperation in her words. It was gone as soon as she added, "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious," Matthew answered. Since he knew now that God was definitely there, Matthew sent up a silent prayer that Ruby would be able to knock some sense into his sister when the time came.

* * *

Another house later, Monica was attempting to calm herself down. She walked at least half a block behind the two humans, worried that her being near their own frustration with the situation would only make things worse. Ruby walked between the humans and her supervisor, creating a sort of parade down the street. Of course she knew she was in trouble. Despite the obvious display of self-control, Ruby still glanced back at the other angel every few paces, as if to check if Monica's hands or teeth had unclenched any.

While Monica was surely angry, she was also frustrated. She had to admit to herself that she'd had it easy with Gloria all these years. Being a supervisor to the newly created angel had been like raising a child. She wasn't saying that raising a child itself was easy, but it meant that there was unconditional love and respect between them. Well, it was very clear that Ruby didn't need raising - she had a mind all her own. A mind that caused her to have confidence that whatever _she_ thought or felt was best, and what Monica or even God told her to do was mere suggestion, not a direct order like it actually was.

All Monica could do was keep insisting that her charge listen. Ruby would find out the hard way eventually.

They had a few blocks before they reached the next friend's house, so Monica figured she might as well get this over with before both angels became too busy with their assignments. She waited until the humans were further up ahead, then caught up with Ruby and gave the newer angel an expectant look. "Well?"

"Now, I know you're mad…" Ruby began. At her supervisor's "well, duh" look, she quickly went on, "But I can help here more than I can by just watching over Sarah! I mean, I _know_ where Sarah is! And while I know I can't tell them, I can at least guide them in the right direction!"

Monica narrowed her eyes. Ruby just didn't _get_ it. "Ruby…" she replied, then double checked to make sure the humans were far enough away. "I know you know where Sarah is! I know where Sarah is too!"

"Really? So why don't you do something about it?" Ruby insisted.

"Because it's not my place!" Monica exclaimed, her frustration showing through her words. "Ruby, I would love to tell Ben and Allison where Sarah is! But God hasn't told me to, so I'm not! Sometimes there's a reason humans have to figure things out on their own! It's all part of God's plan! We're not here to interfere with it, we're here to help humans deal with it!"

Ruby took all that in, as if honestly surprised. "So we're supposed to just sit back and watch our assignments suffer, even though we know the answers to their problems? That hardly seems fair!"

"No it's not!" Monica agreed. "That's why we have to trust in God's plan! Trust that there's a _reason_ for all their suffering, that they'll learn something. If angels fixed every problem humans had to face, how would they learn? How would they grow?"

After a short moment, Ruby asked, "So what's the point of these assignments, then, if not to solve problems?"

"These assignments don't _solve_ problems," Monica answered. She was so worked up at that point, she wasn't even thinking of the words coming out of her mouth. It was all built up, everything she had ever learned about her role as a caseworker, from Tess or on the job itself. "What caseworker angels do is _guide_ humans _towards_ the solution of a problem. We tell them how to arrive at the problems though revelations. Humans have free will, Ruby. We have to both respect it and let them suffer the consequences of it. "

Ruby was quiet again after that, deep in thought. Finally she nodded. "It makes sense," she admitted. "But it's still not fair."

"I know. But besides all that, there's still the fact that Sarah is _your_ assignment. Don't you think you should be with her when she needs an angel, like she does now?" Monica pointed out.

"Like she does now? What's going on? Is she in danger?" Ruby asked, her eyes wide. At Monica's disproving frown, she realized, "I would know if I was there."

Monica let out a deep, relieved breath. "Exactly."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Ruby watched as Monica caught up with the two humans. Her supervisor had made it clear - Ruby screwed up, but she still had time to be where she was supposed to be.

However, there was one problem. Ruby was in human form at the moment, and would only be able to quickly transport to Scott's apartment if she was in angel form. After directly disobeying orders, she knew she had to ask for forgiveness before God made her an angel again.

In the middle of the sidewalk, Ruby closed her eyes and concentrated. _God,_ she began. _I know I haven't exactly been on my best behavior so far. This is so new to me! And You know that taking orders isn't my strong point. While I can't promise I'll always listen from now on…because You know I won't be able to…I will try my hardest. I'll also try my hardest to understand how this angel thing is supposed to work._

_That is, if You make me a caseworker. Because I know at this point, it ain't looking good for me._ _But I promise, if You give me one last chance…and I know that's a lot to ask…I promise I will finish out this assignment however You want me to. Amen._

Satisfied with her heartfelt apology, she opened her eyes.

And found herself in an apartment. In angel form.

She let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Father," she said.

"Ruby?"

At the sound of her name, Ruby looked up to find Gloria standing next to her. "Hey, Gloria!" she greeted.

"Weren't you supposed to be here a while ago?" Gloria asked. The question hadn't been an accusation, but one of honest confusion.

Ruby gave her a sheepish smile. "I, uh, got sidetracked," she admitted. She took the moment to look around at her surroundings. The small living room was decorated with mismatched thrift store furniture and an average-sized but old television. It was adjacent to a kitchen that looked like it hadn't been updated since the seventies.

Her assignment sat on the dingy sofa eating Chinese food straight out of the carton, her backpack abandoned by the front door. Scott sat next to her, tense and upright while he also ate. They were both mindlessly watching some MTV reality show.

"_So when does your brother get home?" Sarah asked him. She had a smile on her face that Ruby had never seen, a happy glow about her after having actually followed through with her plans._

_Scott, however, seemed less enthused. "Tomorrow morning," he replied. "He works the night shift at the supermarket. Look, I know you're having a rough time at home, but he's not gonna like it that you're here."_

"_But you just said he works until early morning," Sarah pointed out. "Surely he won't mind. He's barely going to see me. I mean, I'm still going to go to school."_

"_Really? Won't the school call your folks if they report you?" Scott reminded her._

_Sarah's eyes widened. She clearly hadn't thought this through that far. _

"Oh, Sarah," Ruby muttered. She knew that Sarah was all about living in the moment and doing as she pleased. But what Sarah didn't realize was that rebelling had its consequences that went beyond whatever an authority figure could do to her.

Ruby then paused at the hypocrisy of that statement. _Pot calling the kettle black much?_ she thought.

"Don't worry, Sarah's fine…so far," Gloria assured her, observing Ruby's heartbroken reaction to Sarah's current living conditions. "I promise, Scott's a good kid and won't hurt her, intentionally anyways."

Ruby nodded. "Thanks, that makes me feel a little better. Oh, I wish Ben and Allison would just find her already!" At the flicker of movement beside Gloria, Ruby stared when another angel, this one male, appeared. "Who are you?"

"Hi, Ruby. I'm Andrew," Andrew introduced as he held out his hand.

"Hi, Andrew," Ruby replied as she shook his hand. "If you don't mind me askin'…what are you doin' here? Sarah's my assignment, Scott is Gloria's…we're one human short."

Meanwhile, Gloria's face had paled and a rare frown had crossed her face. "Oh, no, Andrew…" When the male angel nodded, she cleared her throat and explained to Ruby, "Andrew works Monica and I…and Tess, when she was still a supervisor…on some assignments. He…he's an Angel of Death, Ruby."

"An Angel of Death?" Ruby squeaked with a nervous glance at Andrew, who gave her a sympathetic frown. She'd learned about Angels of Death when she herself died.

Then she gave Andrew another glance. He seemed familiar somehow. "I'm sorry, but have we met before?"

"I wondered if you would remember," he answered. "I was your Angel of Death. I was with you in the car after it crashed."

Ruby's eyes widened in understanding. Events in her life had become fuzzy in her memory after she earned her wings, but she did remember an angel beside her as she slowly died of a sharp blow to the head. "Oh, Andrew!" She exclaimed while she went to stand next to him. "I do remember now! I meant to thank you for being with me, but you were gone before I reached the pearly gates!"

"It's no problem, I was just doing my job," Andrew assured her.

"Wow," Gloria said, surprised. "I have a _bunch_ of questions I'd like to ask you about this little reunion, but there's one I think both Ruby and I need answered - Andrew, what are you doing here?"

Refocused on the assignment, Andrew coughed and got back to business. "Oh, right. Well, I've just received word that…if Ben, Allison, and Monica don't get here soon…"

"Oh, no! Sarah?" Ruby guessed, horrified. What would happen in the next few hours that would bring her assignment close to death?

"It's Scott, isn't it?" Gloria asked, her expression also troubled. "He's planning to sell some drugs here tonight, but he doesn't have enough to fill the buyer's order. If things escalate…actually, if Sarah's here…"

Andrew nodded. "That's right. It could be either one. I haven't been told which yet. Or it could be neither…"

"If Ben and Allison find Sarah in time," Ruby finished for him. At Andrew's solemn nod of confirmation, she sighed. "Well, since we're just standing here waiting…we might as well be praying."

The others agreed, and the three angels prayed together for the humans' quick arrival.

* * *

As she stabbed a piece of sesame chicken with her fork, Sarah was quiet while she thought about Scott's words. She had time to think since Scott had gone in his room to both give her privacy and make some "important calls." What kind of "important calls" a fifteen-year-old could get, Sarah didn't know, but the look on his face made it clear it was none of her business. Sure, Sarah considered calls from friends or boys "very important," but she could hear the low, official sound of his voice through the walls…he definitely wasn't talking to one of their friends.

She shook her head and went back to the conversation they'd had. What _was_ she going to do? How far was she going to take this? She'd told Annie that she wasn't going to "six-year-old" run away, but so far she'd done exactly that. True, she was across town in a boy's apartment. But she hadn't gotten on that bus ride to nowhere just yet.

_I wish I didn't have to think about this yet,_ Sarah mused to herself. Despite the seriousness of what she'd done, she was enjoying her little walk on the wild side. Scott was cool in the first place for having his own apartment. She _knew_ her friends thought she was cool for running away to it. She had a little more respect than she had before.

Well, maybe not from Annie. Even though the other blonde was trying to be a supportive friend, Sarah had been able to tell that Annie disproved of what she was doing. But Annie was still one of her best friends - she wouldn't tell, if just to avoid scorn from the others.

Besides the increased cool factor, Sarah _loved_ that she was away from her house. Away from the father that yelled, her oblivious brother, and busybody future stepmother.

She paused and considered what was going on with her family at that very moment. Her dad was furious at her, for sure. Her brother was probably glad she was gone. Allison would be trying to get either to "talk about their feelings"…and hitting a brick wall with either male.

In a brief moment of sympathy, Sarah lamented for the days when she and Allison were friends. They were cool for a long while…she remembered she _did_ want her dad and Allison to get together in the first place. But then her dad proposed, and it hit Sarah that her "friend" was going to be her "parent." Her dad had never been good at the parenting thing, so she supposed that she started pushing Allison away before the adult "went over to the dark side" and became a controlling, distant parental figure like her father. It would've happened, there was no denying it. And it was impossible for a teenager to be friends with a parental figure, just impossible.

But she wasn't upset that her dad was getting married. That didn't have anything at all to do with her recent behavior. If anything, she hoped Allison loosened him up, rather than the other way around.

It was…and this was going to be so after-school-special of her…but it was like their family wasn't a family anymore. Even before she started being the problem child, her dad started working more so he could pay for the wedding. Allison was consumed with wedding plans and more work of her own. Her brother went off into his own world of his little jock friends.

Really, would it make a difference if she was there or not?

For a brief moment she imagined what would happen when she went home. Allison would be relieved she was safe. Matthew would be indifferent. Her father would be more angry than he'd ever been, and probably ground her until graduation.

Oh yeah, that was _real_ appealing. Nothing would change.

_Maybe I should run away,_ she thought. _Scott's not really close to his brother. It wouldn't be a romantic "running off together" sort of thing, but maybe we could help each other out and start our own lives. I do have some money that Mom left me, and from working at Dad's company last summer. _

Sarah grinned to herself and leaned back on the couch. It sounded like a plan. Not only a plan, but an awesome adventure. She couldn't wait for Scott to get off the phone so she could tell him.

Excited, she put her food down and went to knock on the bedroom door. But she felt her nose itch before she went two feet. No tissues in sight, she put a hand to her nose to catch the impending sneeze as she tried the side table drawer.

Suddenly she didn't feel like sneezing.

She couldn't breathe, for that matter. She was too afraid.

It was a gun. What type, she had no idea, but it looked like the type cops used.

There were rumors at school that Scott dealt drugs. She'd refused to believe them before…but why else would he need a gun?

Her heart skipped a beat when the bedroom door opened. Scott stood there with his cell phone in hand, no emotion on his face as he stared at her. "I'm sorry!" she blurted as she slammed the drawer shut. "I'm sorry! I was looking for a tissue!"

Much to her relief, he shrugged. "Whatever. This is a bad neighborhood, you know? My brother likes to have it around just in case."

"Of course, no problem," she managed to reply, with the weakest reassuring smile she'd ever plastered on.

He sat next to her on the couch and they resumed their meal. Sarah could barely get the chicken on her fork. Was the gun loaded? Had Scott ever used it? Why was it in the drawer, shouldn't it be locked up somewhere? Had Scott told her the truth?

Unable to even look at the food, Sarah closed up the containers. "You know, uh, I'm going to put this in the fridge," she remarked, while he nodded in acknowledgement. "I'm just…really not that hungry anymore."

* * *

"Thank you, Mrs. Hart," Allison said to maybe the fifth parent they'd talked to. "We'll check again later."

The concerned woman nodded. "Good luck. I hope you find her soon."

"Thank you," Allison repeated. The trio of her, Ben and Monica went back down the front walk, disappointed once again. They had a few more friends to check out, then it was the end of that route. Sarah wasn't that popular, but she had enough rebel friends to keep the search going through dinner time.

She gave Ben a sideways glance. He still hadn't said a word, except to direct where they should go next, or to make small talk with a parent he happened to know. This may have been a little selfish of her, but Allison was beginning to resent that he seemed to have no concern for her feelings. Not once had he asked her if she was okay or even put a comforting arm around her shoulders. Even though she tried to reach out to him, he closed her off…like he did with every problem that came up. "Honey," she attempted. "Even if we don't get the information tonight, I'm sure one of her friends will crack soon enough. There has to be a sensible one among them that knows what Sarah's doing is wrong and puts her in danger."

"Maybe," he replied. Then he continued down the sidewalk ahead of her.

Her arms crossed, Allison remarked to Monica, "Well, at least I got a one-word response out of him that time."

Ruby had left a while ago, very suddenly and mysteriously, Allison thought. It was just as well though…while she did like Ruby, she seemed to not get along with Monica for some reason. And there was also that odd nagging feeling that she was forgetting something major whenever she looked at Ruby.

So Allison then asked Monica if she wanted to leave too. Honestly, Allison was glad she was there. Through the course of their few weeks together, Allison had grown to consider the wedding planner a friend. But still, she felt like she had to give the option since, after all, Monica _was_ only the wedding planner and hardly knew Sarah. Much to her relief, Monica insisted on staying. Allison was sure she'd be going mad if there weren't a buffer between her and Ben.

"He's just handling this in his own way," Monica assured her. Throughout the afternoon, Monica had kept up a mostly steady stream of conversation to distract Allison both from Ben and the situation at hand. Most of that conversation was reassurances and comforting but empty words. "My guess is that he's used to keeping his emotions bottled up because he hasn't had anyone to vent to in so long."

Allison sighed. "He always does this. It's never bothered me before…but then again, there's never been a problem this serious before. If he was ticked off because of something at work, I would just let him deal with it," she confessed. She didn't know what it was about Monica that made her talk so much. Maybe it was because she finally had someone to talk to about things like this. "But if this is how he's always going to be…oh, Monica, I just don't know."

Ashamed, Allison hung her head and continued on down the block without Monica. She felt bad about admitting that to her wedding planner, who had done so much work on a wedding that might not even happen. Her doubts beginning to form when Monica first came to work for her had only gotten worse in the weeks following. She couldn't be a parent to Sarah, and Ben wouldn't let her in. Was it worth marrying Ben when she would only cause more heartache and problems? Allison pretty much doubted it. The act would be a purely selfish one on her part, since Ben clearly wasn't ready to accept her as a full member of the family.

"It's this one."

Ben's words startled her so that her head jerked up. "What?" Allison asked.

"Sarah's friend, Annie," Monica explained as she ran up to the house's front walk

"Oh," Allison replied and followed the other two. Her and Ben never met any of Sarah's friends - they'd gotten most of these names and phone numbers from the contact list Ben forced her to give him in case of an emergency. But she did recall meeting this one when Sarah had the girl over to study once.

They knocked on the door, and Annie happened to open it. The blonde's eyes widened and her face became a few shades paler than it already was. "Oh, God, you're here for Sarah, aren't you?"

The adults traded startled glances. Angry, Ben demanded, "Is she here?"

"N-No! I swear!" Annie insisted, tears about to fall. "I told her not to run away but her mind was made up!"

As she put a steadying hand on Ben's shoulder, Allison asked in a gentler tone, "Honey, do you know where she is, then?"

Annie shook her head. "She swore all of us to secrecy. I can't!"

"Annie, I know you feel like you're being a friend if you don't tell us," Monica insisted. "But being a friend means doing what's right for Sarah, even if she may not like it."

At those words, Annie stared at them for a long, agonizing moment. Then she nodded and opened the door for them to come in. "Here, you can wait in the hall - my dad's still at work. I'll go write down instructions on how to get to Scott's apartment. It's about an hour from here."

"Thank you so much," Allison replied, tears of relief about to emerge as the young girl ran to get a paper and pen. Though relieved, she knew none of them would stop worrying until they found Sarah safe and sound.

* * *

Ruby watched over her assignment with her arms crossed and her foot tapping in nervous anxiety. Ever since Sarah saw the gun about a half hour ago, the teen had been on edge. Hopefully it meant that Sarah realized that her definition of teenage rebellion differed from her current roommate's. Though Ruby was eager to get her revelation over with and make Sarah see reason, she hadn't been instructed to yet. And she meant what she said in her prayer before.

"Andrew, you're making me nervous," Ruby remarked, just for the sake of conversation.

The Angel of Death gave her an amused glance. He'd been standing perfectly still this whole time with his hands folded in front of him. "How, exactly?"

"Oh, I know, Ruby," Gloria agreed. Andrew's question was ignored as she continued, "It's driving me crazy!"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, just standing there, waiting…"

"Okay, if you two are going to make fun of me the whole time, I'll wait over there!" Andrew half-joked while he pointed to the other end of the apartment.

There was a much needed laugh among the angels. "Oh, Andrew, you know what we mean," Ruby explained. "You're like a ticking alarm clock or something…constant reminder that in the next few minutes or hours one of our assignments could be…"

Though a little dismayed, Andrew sighed and assured them, "No offense taken. Comes with the job description, I guess."

"Don't mind us, Andrew, we're really scared for our assignments," Gloria explained with a long sigh. "I mean, I just want to tell Scott that God loves him and that he needs to straighten his life out. What if I never get the chance?"

"Oh, I hear you on that one, Gloria," Ruby agreed. She glanced at the old clock on the wall. "Where are Ben and Allison? We prayed for them to get here quick, didn't we? What's taking Him so long?"

Andrew chuckled. "God will answer our prayers when He's ready, don't worry."

The angels whirled around when there was a knock at the apartment door. Ruby glanced up. "Yeah, um, I'm gonna take that little remark back now…"

The teenagers had been on the couch, Sarah helping Scott with his homework but not doing her own. They sat straight up and turned to the door in unison, both afraid but for different reasons. A quieting hand on Sarah's shoulder, Scott called, "Who is it?"

"Tommy and John! Open up!"

Ruby and the other angels frowned. That was definitely _not_ Ben and Allison.

Meanwhile, Scott shot up from his seat and ran to the door. His hands were shaking as he undid the locks. "Hey, guys," he said to the two bulky older teens in the hallway. "Look, uh, I've got company, so can I just meet you downstairs with the stuff…"

"Oh, company!" One of them remarked. They both brushed past Scott's feeble attempt to block their entry, like he wasn't there at all. "Who's this? You didn't tell us you had a girlfriend, Scott! Did he, John?"

John shook his head as he gave Sarah a once-over. "Nope, he didn't."

"That's because I'm not his girlfriend!" Sarah insisted, her arms crossed. It was clear that while she was anxious since they were older boys, she hadn't fully grasped the situation.

Ruby had, though. And so had the other angels. Neither of them were able to say anything because they knew there were so many ways this could go wrong.

At Sarah's insistence, Tommy laughed and glanced at Scott. "She's in your apartment and you two haven't fooled around yet? What's the matter with you, kid?"

"No, we haven't, and we don't plan to," Scott insisted. He was having a hard time keeping his tone even, his fists clenching and unclenching.

An impatient note to his voice, John remarked, "Where is it, Scott?"

"Well, uh, do you guys need it now?" Scott managed to ask through nerves while he reached for his backpack. "I'm a little bit short…"

By that time, Sarah began to understand what was going on. More for confirmation than anything else, her voice cracked as she asked, "Scott, what do they want?"

Tommy scoffed and snatched the plastic bag from Scott's fist. "Nothing, just a little…" He squinted at the small quantity of what appeared to be sugar or flour. "Wait, this can't be _our_ order," he demanded, passing the bag to John. "Can it?"

"Doesn't look like it," John remarked as he took the bag. "That's half of what we ordered." He narrowed his eyes at Scott. "Well?"

Scott tried to look him in the eye. "My brother couldn't get the rest, okay? He'll have it for you tomorrow."

That did it. Sarah's eyes widened in horrified shock. "Oh my God, Scott…y-you really…deal drugs?"

"Hey, she finally caught on! Let's hear it for the blonde!" Tommy remarked, accompanied by a mocking round of applause.

Ruby could barely take it anymore. She wanted to run in, drive those boys off, and give Sarah a good talking to. Even though she felt the anger at the situation in her heart, she hadn't realized she was halfway to the group until she felt Gloria's hand on her shoulder. "Let me go, Gloria! That kid's got another thing coming to him if he thinks he can talk to _my_ assignment that way…"

"No, Ruby," Gloria insisted as she pulled Ruby back. "You promised, remember?"

The reminder had its effect, and Ruby let her arms fall to her sides. "I know," she whined. "But for the record, I don't have a good feeling about this."

"And neither does God, which is why we're here in the first place," Andrew assured her.

Back under control, Ruby crossed her arms and continued to watch.

By then, Scott had moved in front of Sarah as if to protect her, while the older teens circled around the two like sharks. "You know, if you can't get us what we want," John was saying, "You'll have to help us get what we want elsewhere."

"He means we're gonna rob you blind!" Tommy exclaimed, a little too eager.

John nodded. "Yup. So why don't you two have a seat? Don't worry, we don't need to hurt you," he explained. "After all, our buddy Scott here knows that if he calls the cops on us, we tattle on his little family operation." Ready to begin the ransack, John checked in the couch side table and found the gun. "Well, looky here! Our treasure hunt is already paying off!"

The younger teens traded helpless looks and sat back down on the couch. They could only stare in numb shock as Tommy and John began checking in the sparse furniture throughout the room.

Then John took hold of Sarah's backpack. "Hey, that's mine! I'm not the one who didn't have the stupid drugs!"

"As amusing as that is, sweetie, I don't really care," John retorted as he unzipped the large zipper. His eyes almost sparkled when he took out a small gold and red box. "Now, what do we have here? This looks promising."

Ruby swallowed hard as she noticed Sarah rise from her seat. "Sarah, don't!" Ruby tried to call out, but her warning went unheard. "Let him take it! He's got the gun, for crying out loud!"

If she did end up hearing Ruby's warning, Sarah didn't show it. The brave yet foolish teen ordered, "Don't take that! It was my mom's!"

"Sarah, please, don't," Scott pleaded in a voice hardly above a whisper.

John ignored them both as he flipped up the jewelry box lid. His grin widened when he pulled out a gold necklace. "Well, now it belongs to the pawn shop with the best offer. Sorry, kid."

"You're not sorry," Sarah remarked through clenched teeth. Before anybody took their next breath, she lunged for the jewelry box.

On instinct, John swung out his hand. That happened to be the one holding the gun. Hand and part of the gun barrel made contact with Sarah's forehead and sent her flying back, so she hit the coffee table on her way down.

"Sarah!" Scott exclaimed. He gathered up his courage and glared at John. "Look what you did!"

John lowered the gun and stared at the unconscious girl. "Alright, I didn't mean it. She wouldn't be like that if she had let me take her damn jewelry box. Which I can take now anyway, I guess." He shoved the box in his coat pocket. "Hey, Tommy!" he called. "We're leaving!"

"Just as well," Tommy said as he walked into the living room from the bedroom. "There wasn't anything good in there anyway." He glanced down on his way to the door. "What happened to the blonde chick?"

"Accident," John barked. He glared at Scott. "Your brother better get it by tomorrow."

Scott was numb as he nodded. "Yeah."

When the two thieves left and closed the door behind them, Scott's shoulders dropped. He stared at his unconscious friend. Totally unsure what to do, he ran to the kitchen and called his brother.

Meanwhile, Ruby had watched the entire scene in appalled shock, along with the other equally outraged angels. They were silent as they made their way towards Sarah's fallen body. Tears in her eyes, Ruby kneeled down next to her assignment. "Well, she's breathing," she observed with a hopeful look at Andrew. "She is who you were sent for, right Andrew?"

Andrew nodded. "Yes. Scott is safe…for now."

"Is it serious?" Gloria asked, staring at both angel and assignment with a worried frown.

"Well, yes and no," Andrew explained. "My services are not needed now. But if she doesn't get the right treatment for her injury, I might have to come back."

Ruby and Gloria nodded in understanding. After Andrew disappeared, Gloria gave her a reassuring smile. "Sarah shouldn't be unconscious long," she said. "I was reading once that usually after a concussion, humans aren't unconscious longer than ten minutes at most."

"Let's hope so," Ruby replied. Then she could think of nothing else but to take Sarah in her arms and pray.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"_Oh, I hope she wakes up soon."_

"_I'm sure she will, Ruby. She doesn't even look like she's unconscious, just…knocked out, I think. She's moving a little."_

But the blow to her head must have knocked her unconscious. She thought she was still conscious, like that feeling she got right before falling asleep. But Sarah had to be well past half asleep and into dreamland. How else could she explain this?

She had opened her eyes just a little to see that her math tutor was there and taken Sarah in her arms, while she talked with none other than the detention monitor. Both were glowing with a warm golden light.

_This is one weird dream_, Sarah thought to herself. Then she winced when pain erupted from the bruise on her forehead. _Ouch…God, help me…_

Wait. If this was a dream, wouldn't she not feel pain?

She took as deep a breath as she could manage and opened her eyes all the way, sure that once she did, she would be awake and the two glowing women before her would vanish.

They didn't go away. At her open eyes, both let out long sighs of relief. "Good, she's up," Ruby said, as if she didn't think Sarah could hear her. "I think we should stay until Ben, Allison and Monica get here. She's gotta be hurting…"

"I am, thanks for noticing," Sarah snapped, annoyed by Ruby ignoring her. She tried to sit herself up, but needed to use the coffee table for support just to sit upright. "What are you two _doing_ here? And this might be delusion talking, but how are you glowing?"

Ruby and Gloria glanced at each other, surprised. "You can see us?" Ruby asked when she turned back to Sarah.

"Well, duh," Sarah replied. "You're right there."

Gloria nodded in understanding. "_Oh_. Ruby, it must be time."

"Time for what?" Sarah asked. She was getting more annoyed as they stood there talking about her, but not to her.

"Yeah," Ruby agreed, equally confused. "Time for what?" At Gloria's narrowed eyes, Ruby protested, "Oh, no, not now! I'm not ready! I'm not! Sarah just got hurt and I want to be there for her, but not if I have to…"

Gloria laughed. "Don't worry, Ruby. It's not that hard. You're just telling her what He tells you."

"I know," Ruby sighed.

Sarah was growing more and more confused. _What's going on here?_ She thought. _What does Ruby have to do? Who is this "he" she's talking about? I don't get it. I hate it when I don't get it._ "What's going on?"

"Don't worry, you'll see," Gloria assured her.

Scott chose that moment to come back in the living room from the kitchen. "Sarah, are you…" He froze, his expression blank while he stared at the two other women who hadn't been there when he left. "What the hell is going on? Gloria, what are you doing here? How do you know where I live?"

But Gloria just smiled at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Scott, we need to talk."

"But…" Scott's protest faded when Gloria's grip on his shoulder tightened and she proceeded to guide him back to the kitchen. He managed one last worried glance at Sarah before the two left the living room.

Bewildered, Sarah scooted over to the couch and leaned against the bottom, while Ruby sat on the floor across from her. Her head had cleared for the most part and she could form some semi-intelligent questions. "Ruby, what's going on? How are you here? Were you and Gloria helping Dad and Allison look for me?" That was the only way it worked out in Sarah's head.

"No…well, I was, for a little while," Ruby admitted, but for some reason there was shame in her eyes. She recovered and gave Sarah a sympathetic, caring look. "But that's not how I'm here. Sarah…I'm an angel. Sent by God. I know, I can't believe it either. So is Gloria…and Monica, and Tess."

Sarah just gaped at her. While the confession was unbelievable, what had her stunned was the flurry of memory activity in her brain. It…it was like something had been unlocked, and events from two years ago she didn't know were there were suddenly coming to light "Ruby, I…you…how…oh my God, you really were dead. That accident in the article I found wasn't faked."

"I see you're starting to remember," Ruby replied. "Yes, well…I _was_ dead then, but I wasn't an angel yet. After I was…God sent me to you again. I can't tell you how heartbroken I was when I found out what you'd been getting into."

At that, Sarah wrapped her arms around her knees and put her head down. "I guess you and God are mad at me too?"

"What? No, of course not!" Ruby insisted as she put a reassuring hand on Sarah's shoulder. "God loves you, and so do I! He loves you so much that he sent angels to you an your family to help."

Sarah's frown only deepened. While she appreciated the gesture, she didn't see how Ruby and the other angels being there had made any kind of difference. "Help how? It didn't work…I mean, I ran away."

"Sometimes angels help just by being there for their assignment," Ruby explained. Then she paused, as if realizing that for herself. She shook her head. "Anyway, we need to talk, Sarah. _I_ know you're a good kid. _You_ know you're a good kid. What's going on with you?"

_I'm not a "kid,"_ Sarah wanted to retort. But the sympathetic note to Ruby's voice made her give an honest answer. "There's no point in being a 'good kid.' When I was, I had no family and no friends. At least now I have friends."

"Who would probably be friends with you even if you didn't cut class…or shoplift," Ruby answered. At Sarah's surprised look, she nodded. "Yeah, I know about that. What you don't realize is that your friends are just as lost and insecure as you are, especially that guy in there," Ruby told her with a point to the kitchen. "Maybe if you explain that you don't want to do that kind of stuff anymore, they won't either."

Sarah scoffed. "That stuff only happens in TV shows, Ruby."

"Hey, you never know." Ruby insisted. She sighed and added, "Look, I know you're fifteen, and there's nothing scarier than not having any friends. But where will your friends be when you cross that line and you're facing charges for something stupid?"

"I know," Sarah admitted, her eyes lowered. She'd asked herself that same question a million times, but every time she convinced herself that she would never get caught. After all, her friends had been doing that stuff longer than she had, and nothing bad had ever happened to them…as far as she knew. And she was always so careful.

It'd been weak reasoning all along, and she knew it.

Satisfied that she had made some progress, Ruby continued, "Now, what's this about you having no family?"

"What I meant was, we're not a family," Sarah answered, tears in her eyes just thinking about it. "I know I'm a teenager and supposed to have my own life, but I miss my dad, and even my stupid little brother…we don't talk anymore and no one cares but me."

Ruby shook her head. "That's not true. Believe it or not, your dad and your brother miss being a family just as much as you do. But like you, they think that this is the way things are and there's nothing anyone can do to change it. I bet if you tell them that you want a change, not only will they be surprised, they'll agree with you."

"How do you…well, you are an angel, you know everything," Sarah reasoned.

Much to her surprise, Ruby shook her head again. "Trust me, I don't." Under her breath, she muttered, "If I did, I probably wouldn't have messed up this assignment so much…"

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "What? You messed up too?" This didn't quite match up with her previous idea of what angels were like.

"Well, yeah…" Ruby confessed. "See, I'm new at this angel thing. I thought I knew what was best for the situation…sort of like you, I guess. But it turned out the only one who ever knows is God, and I guess if I had listened to Him…and Monica, my supervisor…I would realize what I needed to do.. Instead, the stuff I did more or less only made things worse."

"So are you saying I should listen to God _and_ Monica?" Sarah joked.

Ruby chuckled. "Well, when Monica says something, you should listen to her, because she's probably right. But chances are you should always pray to God if you don't know what to do."

"Praying," Sarah said. "Does that work?"

"Every time. You might not realize it, but it does," Ruby assured her.

Sarah put her head down on her knees and thought about that. All the time, she felt so lost and confused. Maybe she wouldn't now since she knew she could turn to God.

But she didn't have to pray to know that she wanted to go home.

As if on cue, the front door to the apartment opened. And the first person she saw was her father. "Dad!" Sarah exclaimed. Much to her father's shock, she leaped off the floor and gave him a forceful hug.

"Sarah, I'm so glad you're…" Ben trailed off as he looked down and noticed the bruise on her forehead. "_Are_ you okay? Honey, what happened?"

Sarah wiped happy tears from her eyes, the bruise temporarily forgotten. "There was an, um, accident…"

"Did Scott hurt you? Where is he?" Ben demanded as he went further into the apartment.

"No Dad! Scott didn't…" Sarah trailed off while her father disappeared into the kitchen. It was then that Sarah noticed that Ruby had vanished. As Allison gave her a quick hug before going after Ben, Sarah then noticed that another person had joined the search party. Monica stood in the doorway, a knowing smile on her face. "You…you're…Ruby said you were…" Sarah blurted before she could stop herself.

Monica laughed and put an arm around the surprised girl's shoulders. "Let's just keep that between us for now."

"Got it," Sarah laughed. She then frowned when her family and Scott came back into the room, Scott's pleas of innocence falling on deaf ears. She may be going home, but she still had a lot of work to do if she wanted her family back.

* * *

Two days after Sarah came home, Allison still hadn't talked to Ben about what happened. Of course, they had all been relieved when Sarah checked out fine at the hospital, and seemed to have a personality change on top of that. It seemed that running away had gotten whatever rebelliousness there was out of Sarah's system, and there hadn't been much arguing when Ben grounded her for a month for running away. In fact, for some odd reason, Sarah appeared almost relieved to be stuck home.

Despite happier times in the household, Allison and Ben's relationship was still strained. After all, Allison had never pinned their troubles all on Sarah anyway. But it seemed that the incident made their relationship worse. The couple hadn't had a conversation since they got back from Sarah's hospital visit. Allison wanted to talk about how Ben had shut her out that day, but not only was she discouraged after her previous attempts while looking for Sarah, she was angry herself.

She was sick of his unfair expectations of her to do all the work in this relationship She could only hold them together for so long. How long would they last this way after they were married? The incident with Sarah wouldn't be the only one to ever cause tension in their marriage, and they needed to learn to work through crisis together.

Maybe they shouldn't agree to spend the rest of their lives together until they did.

About to pass by Matthew's room, Allison paused. She blinked a few times to make sure of what she was seeing.

Matthew was playing a video game. With Sarah. The two were acting like a normal brother and sister – teasing and tormenting each other, but having a good time.

Unable to help herself, Allison stopped in the room's doorway. "Well, this is different," she remarked.

"We're playing _Mario Party_," Matthew explained. "It's a board game. You get coins to buy more stars than the other player, and there are all these mini-games in between."

Sarah nodded with a triumphant smirk. "Yeah, and there is _no way_ he's going to win. I have one more star than him, and there's only two turns left."

"We'll see about that," Matthew retorted. He pressed some buttons and grinned at her. "Hah! I landed on Boo! I get to steal a star!"

"_No_!" Sara screamed as she fell back on her brother's desk chair.

Matthew got up from the edge of his bed and did a little victory dance. "Ha ha! You lose _three_ games in a row!"

"Not yet!" Sarah objected. "There's still bonus stars!"

"Whatever, you know I'm going to win again," Matthew taunted.

Allison laughed. "It's good to see you two hanging out. But keep it down and watch the clock, guys," she warned, nodding to the clock on the nightstand. It was nine thirty, a half hour until Matthew's bed time.

"Okay," Matthew agreed.

After she took her turn, Sarah nudged Matthew's arm and they both turned to face her. "Hey, um, Allison…have you talked to Monica lately?"

Surprised by the random question, Allison raised an eyebrow. The kids shared knowing, amused looks, as if the question had been some sort of inside joke. Wary, she answered, "Uh, no, not for a couple days. Why?"

"No reason," Sarah replied quickly. Then she changed the subject and asked, "So, want to get in on the next game? There can be three players, and Matthew has another controller around here somewhere."

Allison shook her head. "No thanks, I want to talk to your dad. But I'll definitely take a rain check. I probably won't be any good though."

"Well, that's okay, then I'll actually be able to beat someone," Sarah sighed.

Matthew laughed. "For once."

"Well, have fun, guys," Allison replied. The kids refocused on the game the second she left the doorway. As she made her way down the stairs towards Ben's office, she wondered if she would ever get to play that video game with them. She loved those kids so much, and would miss it if she never became their stepmother.

She reached Ben's office and knocked. The emergency with Sarah the other day had put Ben behind on his work schedule. Both of them had taken off the next day to take Sarah to get her injury checked out. The time off hadn't helped any though, as while the three had spent the day together while Matthew was at school, no real talking had been done.

"Who is it?"

"Allison," she called as she tentatively cracked open the door. When he nodded, she came in. "Look, Ben, we need to talk."

Ben glanced up from their ad campaign spread out on the desk. "Yes we do, actually." Without noticing her hopeful look, he continued, "Something's wrong with this ad. What _is_ it? I've been staring at it for days, and…"

Allison leaned forward as she put her hands over the main print of the ad. "I didn't mean about the campaign," she clarified when he glanced up at her in surprise. "It may come as a shock to you, but we're supposed to get married in a few weeks."

"I was aware of that," Ben assured her.

Sure she was making eye contact, Allison let out a deep breath as she picked her arms back up and crossed them. "We never really talked about what happened the other day."

"I don't see what one has to do with the other, or what there is to talk about," Ben replied, much to her frustration. "We found Sarah and she's fine, thank God. Problem solved."

Allison shook her head. "No, problem not solved. You shut me out, Ben. Chaos was going on around us, and I didn't have you to hold on to. And you didn't reach to hold on to me either."

"My daughter was missing, Allison," Ben retorted "I had a lot going on and I would be lying if I said that your feelings were on the top of my priority list!"

"That's not what I meant! Yeah, it would've been nice if you stopped once to ask how I was doing, but we're going to be husband and wife! That means that you're supposed to look to me for comfort when you need it, not let yourself go through it alone, I…"

Allison trailed off as she tried to think of what else she could say to make him see the point. "Ben, I love you. That means I want to be there for you when you're upset, or you need help. It's unfair of you to expect me to stand by and let you go through every tough time alone. The same with the kids. I do realize they're you're kids, and I don't expect you to treat me like I'm their mother, but…I'd like _some_ input on how to raise them, because I love them too. But then again, maybe that's not fair for me to ask you that, since I clearly don't know anything about dealing with kids."

There was a long silence, then finally Ben crossed his arms and replied, "I'm sorry, Allison. I love you too, but I'm…I'm not sure if I can do that yet. I'll try, but…"

"I know. I know it's hard for you," Allison said, then let out a deep breath. "For a while there I was considering calling off the wedding all together," she admitted. After his jaw dropped in shock, she quickly added, "But instead I'm suggesting we postpone it. Until you're ready to let me into your life."

He was in shock, she could tell. It was a minute or two before he nodded. "I-I suppose that's fair."

"I'm glad you understand," Allison said in a tone that suggested things were the same, but they both knew they weren't. "I'll, uh, go stay with my parents for a while, give us both some space. If you want I'll sleep on the couch tonight."

Ben shook his head. "I'll take the couch."

"No, I'm the one who…" Allison sighed at his insistent look. "Fine. Thank you."

She left the office while he stood there behind his desk, his face emotionless.

* * *

Ben sat back down in his desk chair and rubbed his face.

_What just happened?_

One minute, him and Allison had been fine, the next, they might not ever get married. Well, he couldn't lie too much to himself…things with them had been maybe a little strained lately. But he had blamed that on all the tension his fights with Sarah were giving him. Apparently he'd been wrong, and their problems went beyond not getting along after a bad day.

He had no clue she was this unhappy. To him she'd seemed fine. But maybe that was his problem – he tended not to see anything he didn't want to see. He understood that about himself and tried to work on it, but sometimes he didn't even realize that he was intentionally not seeing anything.

After she temporarily called off their wedding, Ben couldn't help but be a little angry. Of course he knew that her claims weren't totally false. But for her to just spring this on him like that…why didn't she tell him that she was feeling this way? Why didn't she tell him that she wanted him to share his feelings? He couldn't guarantee that he would've complied, but was he supposed to be a mind reader or something?

But he had to acknowledge that Allison had made the right move. He wasn't one for subtle hints or small requests. Now that she'd done this, the message was clear – either he had to change, or he would lose her.

He then realized that he could use the same sentiment with Sarah. It couldn't hurt if he listened more to her too. The way Sarah had run to him at her friend's apartment made him understand, more than anything – she was confused. She was going through a tough time and didn't know what she was doing. Punishing her would only do so much…he needed to start talking with her soon or risk losing her as well.

With that, he closed up the campaign and began putting everything in their respective folders before he went to bed. While he wanted to make up with Allison, it wouldn't help either of them to have a deep, insightful conversation at night when they'd both had a long day. Besides, he had a lot of thinking to do first.

Of course he did realize that he needed to let Allison in more. He understood that much. But what he needed to think about what _how_ he was going to do so. His emotions, when he acknowledged them, were very private to him. The very idea made him uncomfortable – he just wasn't good at communication, and it had always been so much easier for him to keep everything inside. Then there was the uncertainty of how others would react.

He knew that he would have to tell her all this too. It would just take him all night to work up the courage, and write down what to say.

* * *

Around a half hour until midnight, Monica checked in on Ben. She'd been watching over Allison after the scene before and was waiting for her revelation cue from the Father. Until then, she'd been alternating between the couple. Though the conversation had been two hours ago, neither managed to fall asleep. Last time she checked, Allison was tossing and turning in bed.

And now, she watched as Ben sat up on the daybed he'd put in his office, reading a book in his hand. He'd been restless since Allison left his office as he sat there thinking. Finally he pulled out a book maybe ten minutes ago to help him get _some_ sleep.

But Monica took it as a good sign. It meant that Allison had got to him, that he was thinking everything over. She only hoped he told Allison before it was too late.

And it would be her job tonight to make sure that "too late" was put off for a while.

The word received from the Father, Monica transported in angelic form to Allison and Ben's room. Allison was a mess, frantically moving back and forth as she threw clothes in a suitcase. The distraught woman must have given up on sleep and began thinking about the future.

That was where Monica had to intervene. The angel let out a deep breath as she made herself visible to her assignment, a soft golden light around her. In response to the Father's instruction, Monica said, "Don't lie to yourself, Allison."

Allison whirled around to face the angel, her eyes wide. "Oh my God," she whispered. "M-Monica? What's going on? H-how did you get in here?"

"Don't lie to yourself," Monica insisted while she ignored Allison's astonishment. "You, and I, and God all know that if you leave now, you won't come back. We know that 'postpone" is just another way of saying that the wedding isn't going to happen."

There was a brief silence, then Allison nodded. "I know, and I think Ben knows too. But I…I don't know what else to do, Monica…" she trailed off and went back to being shocked. "Wait. Hold on, what the h – "

"Before you finish that," Monica interrupted with a chuckle. "Let me say that I am an angel, sent from God. He loves you and very much wants you and Ben to be together."

Allison shook her head in disbelief and sat down on the bed. "Oh, God…a _real_ angel…no wings, huh?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Monica laughed.

"I always wondered about that," Allison said. She gave a weak laugh and looked at Monica with focused attention. "So, why would God send _me_ an angel?

Monica sat down next to Allison, relieved to finally be able to have this conversation. For weeks she'd been wanting to tell Allison who she is, and reassure the woman of her relationship with Ben. "To give you confidence, Allison. Confidence to confront Ben, tell him that you're here and that he has to listen to you."

"But he won't. He's so set in his ways…I just don't fit in," Allison insisted.

"You haven't given him a chance!" Monica reminded her. "Sure, you wonder and you wonder why he won't talk to you, but then you never ask him! Ben doesn't share what's inside naturally…he needs a push. Some humans are like that. I bet if you let him know that you're ready to listen and won't reject whatever he's feeling, he would let you in."

Allison paused while she took everything in. "I-I…I guess I never thought about that…it always seemed personal when he shut me out. That was pretty self-centered of me."

"No, you were just confused," Monica explained. "Miscommunication between couples happens all the time."

Another brief silence, then Allison asked, "So if God wants Ben and I to be together…does that mean I'll make a good stepmother? It hasn't been all about my problems with Ben."

"You will make an _excellent_ stepmother," Monica assured her. "If I didn't believe it after I heard it from God, being around you for these past weeks has made it clear. You are great with these kids. And like any new parent, you'll figure it out as you go. Trust me, it's hard," Monica said as memories of her time with Ruby flashed through her mind. "But it's the most rewarding thing on God's Earth."

Allison gave her a confused glance. "You sound like this is coming from personal experience…but…"

"Of course, I don't have a child myself," Monica explained. "But being a supervisor angel, which I am, is much like being a parent. My caseworker, Ruby, is new to this, so training her is much like raising a child."

Allison's eyes had widened. "_Ruby_…you mean, Sarah's tutor is… "

"And Tess as well," Monica revealed. She paused when there was a look of familiarity on Allison's face, like she was remembering something. It made sense to Monica, who knew she was finally remembering Ruby's last visit. "Yes, Ruby was here two years ago. That was when she was earning her wings…figuratively speaking."

"But wait, then why were you mad at her the other day?" Allison asked.

Monica laughed as she realized she must have appeared to be acting odd when Ruby showed up. Since then, the two had talked, and Monica knew that with the right training, Ruby would make an excellent caseworker. She just hoped that Ruby hadn't already ruined her chances "Well, sometimes even angels, especially new caseworkers, have problem with authority," Monica explained.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"She's still leaving?" Ruby exclaimed to Monica.

Monica nodded. However, she didn't seem too worried. "Yes. But the Father told me that it is part of His plan. We just have to do one more thing."

The next morning, Ruby had checked in on Sarah. It'd been her impression that her assignment was over…after her revelation, what else was she supposed to do? But since she was still there, she figured she might as well see how Sarah was doing.

Besides, it took her mind off what was in her immediate future – judgment. She had finished her assignment well, but had her mistakes ruined her chances for caseworker? For a while she had been able to put it in the back of her mind as she focused on the assignment, but the time was coming soon. Then there was the other question…

What happened to angels who didn't make caseworker? Would she return to being a regular angel, or…would she be punished?

Ruby gulped and shook her head. She couldn't think about that – she still had a job to do, apparently. "I don't get it. Didn't you have a talk with her?"

"I did, but maybe I should've made it more clear that she should stay," Monica explained. "Human insecurity is a powerful thing…one can be assured that everything will be fine by one of God's angels, but still not believe it. Allison has a lot to think about, and she doesn't feel she can if she stays in the same house as Ben. She's finishing packing as we speak…she wants to follow her original plan of getting out of here before everyone wakes up. She still doesn't understand that if she leaves this house, she will never come back."

"Well then stop her! Why don't you tell her that so she'll stay?" Ruby asked.

"I could," Monica answered, then let her gaze fall on Sarah, who was sound asleep and unaware of the angels nearby. "But I think it would mean more to Allison if it came from her."

Then Ruby understood. While Allison had heard the truth from an angel, she thought it too good to be true. Hearing reassurances from a family member would be proof that things were changing. "Right," Ruby answered, then smiled. "So you want to wake her up, or should I?"

"She's your assignment," Monica replied, also smiling.

Ruby walked over to the bed and lightly pushed the sleeping teenager's arm. "'Morning, sunshine!"  
"Five more minutes, Dad…" Sarah muttered in her sleep as she rolled away from the glow of Ruby's angelic light.

The angels laughed, and Monica joined Ruby. "Come on, Sarah. We have a wee favor to ask."

At the clear, unfamiliar accent, Sarah bolted upright in surprise. "Wha…" she said while she rubbed her eyes, then stared at the angels. "I'm dreaming," she decided. "I'm still asleep, and I'm dreaming."

"No, you're awake. And so is Allison. She's leaving to go to her parents' as we speak," Ruby informed her.

Sarah gave them a confused stare. "What? Why? Did she and Dad have a fight?"

"No, but last night Allison postponed the wedding. She thinks that if she leaves now, she'll come back after she's thought things through," Ruby explained. "But God has told us that if she leaves now, she won't come back. And He wants you to stop her."

"Whoa," Sarah said as she brought her legs over the side of the bed. "But how? I'm assuming one of you talked to her, right?"

"Yes, I did last night," Monica answered.

"Right. And while I'm flattered that God wants me to do something…how can I, when she wouldn't even listen to an angel?" Sarah pointed out.

"Because she'll only believe that you want her to stay if she hears it from you," Ruby insisted. "I know if you ask, she'll at least listen."

"Right. Sometimes, angels can tell their message over and over, but the human never really listens until they believe it," Monica explained.

After a second or two of thought, Sarah sighed. "Fine, but what do I tell her? I mean, I want her to stay, but I don't know what's going through Dad's head right now. I know he loves her, though."

"That's good enough," Ruby assured her. "Now go on, get out of here. She's zipping up her last suitcase right this moment."

"Right. I'm going!" Sarah said as she jumped off her bed and ran into the hallway.

Ruby couldn't help but laugh at the sight. "I gotta say, only divine intervention can get a teenager moving that fast at five in the morning."

* * *

The last suitcase closed, Allison scanned the bedroom one more time. Her gaze fell on the dresser, the nightstand, the open closet door, to check that she wasn't forgetting anything important. Of course, she wasn't moving out, so she left a few clothing items and various items she knew she wouldn't need. But at the same time, she was going to her parents' house an hour away – she didn't want to have to come back if she forgot something, not to mention how awkward that would be.

At least, she hoped she wasn't moving out. Though Monica had warned her that if she left, she wouldn't come back, she just couldn't stay. The thought of facing Ben this morning terrified her. Monica's words made Allison realize that she'd had no right to postpone the wedding like that…the way she'd done it without even talking to him made her want to cringe at her behavior.

But she didn't have enough courage to swallow her pride and take it back. So, she figured it would be easier to gather her nerves for a while, then come back in a week or so to talk with Ben about working on their relationship.

Besides, Monica had assured Allison that her and Ben were supposed to be together, right? If it was meant to happen, it would happen. They just needed a break. Well, she knew that _she_ needed a break. But chances were that Ben needed some time to think everything over too.

A sudden, soft noise on the carpeted hallway outside her closed door made Allison jump. It wasn't loud, but Allison was still a little shaken after her angelic visit. After collecting those angel figurines for years, actually talking to one had been a shock. She couldn't help but smile as she thought of the first day Monica came into her office, and how funny it was that their first conversation had been about angels.

The whole, fantastic incident was something she'd love to be able to discuss with her friends or family. But who would believe her?

Allison almost jumped off the floor when Sarah burst into her room. "What in the world…" she began. The teenager appeared to have been sprinting down the hallway and had nearly fallen into Allison's bedroom. "Honey, what are you doing up so early? And…where's the fire?"

"Angels…woke…me up," Sarah managed to explain as she leaned on a nearby dresser and caught her breath. "Told me…you're…leaving. Don't go!"

Stunned, Allison's mouth fell open. It was just as well…she was speechless anyway. "Wha…b-but…_angels_ woke you up?"

"Ruby and Monica. They woke me up to get me to stop you," Sarah explained after she'd caught her breath. "Allison, you can't go!"

Allison paused, touched by Sarah's words but determined. "I'm sorry, Sarah. But I can't. Your father and I had a disagreement last night and I think it would just be best if I lived somewhere else for a little while."

"But it won't _be_ for a little while. Didn't you listen to Monica last night? If you leave now, you won't come back," Sarah insisted.

Unsure of what to do, Allison sat on the edge of her bed. She had been trying to assure herself that moving out would only be temporary. But was she willing to give up Ben and the kids just because of pride? "Sarah, I…I…I just can't face him now."

"For what it's worth, if anything," Sarah said as she sat next to Allison on the bed. "_I_ really want you to stay. And be my stepmother."

"Really?" Allison asked with a sideways glance.

Sarah nodded. "Really. I know I haven't exactly shown it, but I…I do think of you as a friend. I was just worried that once my dad married you, you wouldn't be my friend anymore. You'd just be my parent."

"Oh, Sarah, of course I'll always be your friend," Allison assured her. "But you do understand that I will have to be at least a little bit of a parent." At Sarah's frown, she added, "But look on the bright side. Whenever your dad loses his temper, I can cool him down, maybe convince him to hear your side before he punishes."

"I'd like that. But…in order for that to happen, you have to stay here," Sarah replied.

Allison sighed. "I know. I'm just so nervous that when he wakes up, he'll be so angry with me that he won't want to talk."

"Well, yeah, I'm sure he'll be a little angry," Sarah told her. "But I also know that he loves you a lot, and probably stayed up all night worrying about how he's going to fix things with you."

"Really?" Allison repeated after she dared to get her hopes up.

"Dad's all about fixing things. Problems, I mean," Sarah explained. "If it's something he cares about, and you are, there's nothing he wants more than to get it all back to normal. He won't be happy about having to talk about everything, but he'll do it."

Allison let out a short laugh. "That sounds like your father."

"Doesn't it?" Sarah laughed. "But maybe if you stick around long enough, he won't mind talking so much."

"Maybe. Thanks, sweetie," Allison replied as she and Sarah hugged. After they separated, Allison glanced at the clock, which read half past five. "Well, I hope you're right about your father not getting to sleep last night. He'll be awake when I tell him that we need to talk."

* * *

Sarah held the house phone to her ear with a loose grip, shocked while she processed what she was being told. Next to her, Ruby sat at the kitchen table for moral support. "Scott, I'm so sorry," Sarah said.

Her friend was on the other line, calling from his apartment…which she just found out it wouldn't be for much longer. After the whole incident earlier in the week, the guys who robbed Scott's apartment had been caught for drug possession. While that was good, they ended up ratting Scott and his brother out. Scott's brother was facing charges, but Scott was going to be put in custody of his aunt, who lived halfway across the country.

At the moment, Gloria was staying with him and helping him pack. His brother was in jail since neither he nor Scott had enough money to post bail. Though being around an angel so much unnerved him, Scott confessed, he was grateful for the company, especially with so much going on.

This all meant she pretty much wouldn't get to see him anymore. But in a way, Sarah didn't mind. She'd miss him, but she knew he was getting help. "You want me to come over?" Sarah said in response to his suggestion that she come to say good-bye. He also wanted to give her back the jewelry box and its contents that had been found by police after the robbers were caught.

She paused and glanced around the kitchen. The other angels, Monica and Tess, along with Ruby, had joined the family for breakfast that Saturday morning. Allison seemed a little overwhelmed by the celestial presence, but otherwise enjoyed talking with them as the three made pancakes for the family. Ben started up the coffee maker nearby, while Matthew pulled out plates and silverware to set the table. This was the family's first Saturday brunch together in a long time, and she honestly didn't want to miss it.

Then there was also the small matter that she was still grounded.

"I'm sorry," Sarah repeated. "I'm kind of busy today…and grounded. But do you think you'll be able to come over?" She paused and listened. "Okay, hold on." She put the phone down and called, "Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah?" Ben called back.

"Is it okay if Scott comes over later? To say good bye," Sarah quickly added. "And he needs to drop off my jewelry box."

Ben paused as he thought it over. "Who's he staying with? He's going through a lot right now, and whatever family is with him might want him to stay home."

"His aunt is flying in tomorrow. Gloria's with him now, and she says she'll drive him over later," Sarah explained.

Before Ben could reply, Tess interrupted, "Drive over? Tell that little angel that she better be careful with my…" she hesitated at Monica's amused glance. "_Monica's_ car."

The group laughed, though her father looked a little uneasy as well. The night before, while the family had talked about recent events, the other three told him about the angels. He refused to believe it…until this morning, when the angels all showed up in the house. Ben turned back to Sarah and nodded. "Alright, he can come over. But he can't stay."

"Thanks, Dad," Sarah replied, then put the phone back to her ear. "Sure, Scott, Dad said it's okay. Oh, and tell Gloria that Tess says to be careful with Monica's car…yeah, don't ask, I didn't. I'll see you later."

Ruby gave her a concerned look. "How is he?"

"He said he's fine. But he sounded nervous and scared," Sarah admitted. She couldn't help but notice how shaky his voice had been. "Ruby, is he going to be okay?"

"I wish I knew. But I'm sure he'll be better off with his aunt than staying where he was," Ruby reasoned. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Matthew making his way over with an armload of plates and silverware. "Whoa, Matthew, let me help you with that."

"I got it, I got it…" Matthew tried to assure her. But the top plate slid into Ruby's hands. "Uh, thanks."

Still concerned, Sarah asked the angels, "Is Gloria going to stay with Scott, though? I don't want him to be alone."

"I'm sure she will. He is still her assignment," Monica speculated, while Tess nodded in confirmation. "But she'll move on to the next one soon. So will Tess and Ruby."

"If I make caseworker," Ruby grumbled, just loud enough for Sarah to hear.

Allison paused as she slid cooked pancakes onto a plate. "Oh. I guess I'll have to make do without a wedding planner then. Well, I must say, Monica, you did an excellent job while you were here."

"Actually," Monica corrected. "Since there's not that much time until the wedding, I've gotten word that I'm going to stay on as your wedding planner until then. Really, it wouldn't be fair to leave you on your own."

"Oh, wow! Thank you!" Allison replied, surprised.

Ben smiled and went over to wrap his arms around his fiancé. "I'm just glad there's a wedding to plan."

As she watched the scene, Sarah grinned to herself as she sat back in her chair. The day before, Allison had woken Ben – who just managed to fall asleep – and the two had talked until the kids had to get up for school. From what Allison told her, the couple still had a lot of work to do on their relationship, but they had worked out some of their major, more pressing miscommunications.

Meanwhile, Sarah and her father had also had a long talk the night before after he got home from work. The heart-to-heart discussion had ended in a tearful hug, with both promising to always tell each other how they were feeling about how things were going at home, or anything else they wanted to talk about with someone.

But for the moment, she was more happy that everything was back to normal. And, since everything was normal, the family had a wedding to obsess over.

"I'm glad you two are okay," Matthew said while he began to set the table. "I can't wait for you to get married."

"Me neither," Sarah added, then got up to help her brother.

"Yes, while we're on the subject," Allison began. "I guess Monica will already be there, as the wedding planner, but Tess, Ruby, you two are welcome to come."

"I wouldn't miss it for anything," Ruby quickly assured her.

Tess smiled. "I'll be there too."

"Great!" Allison replied. Then she took a full serving plate of pancakes to the table, while Ben carried a second full plate behind her. "Well, breakfast is ready! Monica, is that coffee maker done yet?"

"She should know, she's been watching it like a hawk," Tess remarked.

Sure enough, Monica was over by the coffee maker pouring everyone cups. "Don't worry, I've got it. How do you two take your coffee?"

"Oh, we both take a little milk, no sugar," Ben answered. He placed the pancakes on the table and sat down next to his daughter. As he glanced at her and noticed how quiet she was, he put his arm around her shoulders. "How are you doing, Sarah? You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," Sarah replied with a smile. Then she helped herself to some pancakes while the angels and her family sat down around her.


	12. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The crowd in the reception hall was thinning out. After a night of mingling with Ben and Allison's guests, the angels had retreated to a garden out back. Complete with a bubbling fountain and mood lighting, its primary occupants were just-married couples who needed a break from friends and family members. But for Monica, Tess, and Ruby, it was the perfect spot to relax and enjoy another assignment well done.

Or, in Monica's case, it was the perfect spot to be antagonized by her newest charge. "I promise, Ruby, I _don't know_ yet!" she insisted. The blonde angel had been pestering her for the past week about her assignment evaluation, and if she had made caseworker. All angels considered the wedding the defining end to their collective assignment, so its arrival had only made Ruby more anxious than she had been all week.

"_But when_?" Ruby pressed, so antsy that she'd been pacing in front of the fountain for the last half hour. "Ben and Allison are going to be celebrating their one-year anniversary before He decides to tell me!"

"Now, angel baby, you better calm down. He'll let you know when He's ready, and not a moment sooner!" Tess warned, never one to tolerate whining.

Monica sighed. She also had the feeling that the Father would tell her soon, and she certainly hoped so. Not only was Ruby driving her nuts, but Monica was more than a little curious as well. Of course she was worried for her charge, but she was also wondering if she had done a good job as Ruby's temporary supervisor.

However, instead of moaning and groaning, she'd coped by drinking maybe five cups a coffee a day for the past week.

"Try not to worry about it so much. I'm sure you did fine. And it was your first assignment – I'm sure God expected some mistakes," Monica assured her.

"_Some_ being the key word. How many is too many?" Ruby wondered aloud. She stopped her pacing and gave the elder angels an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I know I've probably been driving ya'll crazy. But…can I ask you something?" When the other angels nodded, she asked, "If…if I don't make caseworker…I'll still be an angel, right?"

"Oh, Ruby…" Monica trailed off, her heart going out to the younger angel. _No wonder Ruby has been so frantic this week. She's been worried sick not only about making caseworker but her future as an angel._ She traded concerned looks with Tess, then answered, "Of course you would still be an angel."

"Yes, baby. You've made some mistakes this assignment, but you've made them all because you thought it was what God wanted you to do," Tess explained. "You've disobeyed Him at times, but you've also begged forgiveness. You might not make caseworker, but unless you _really_ screw up, you'll always be an angel."

Ruby let out a nervous, relieved laugh. "Oh, thank God."

"Ruby?" Sarah's voice called.

The three angels turned toward the hall's French doors that opened onto the ground-level veranda. Sarah and Matthew walked out, followed by the bride and groom. Ben and Matthew wore tuxes, Allison wore a gorgeous beaded white wedding dress, and Sarah was the youngest to wear a bridesmaid's dress.

"Oh, good, you're still here," Ben greeted. "We wanted to make sure we got the chance to say good-bye. "

Allison nodded. "Yes. We were worried we'd get wrapped in saying good-bye to guests, then never see you again."

"Of course we wouldn't leave without saying good-bye," Monica assured them. "Once again, congratulations, you two. Allison, you look so beautiful."

"Thanks," Allison replied as she blushed at the compliment.

Meanwhile, Sarah had given Ruby a once-over. "What's with you?" she asked. "You look…nervous."

"I think 'nervous' would be an understatement," Tess remarked.

Ruby groaned with frustration as the others laughed. "I haven't found out if I made caseworker yet. Monica, you're sure you're not holding out on me?"

The group laughed again and continued to chat, but Monica was distracted. God was finally speaking to her. And He had good news.

Tess had noticed Monica's silence and gave her a hopeful glance. "Angel girl, are you hearing what I think you're hearing?"

"Yes," Monica replied, then laughed with happiness and relief. Her noise had caused a distraction and the group had focused attention on her. "Ruby…" she said.

Ruby's whole face lit up. "You mean…"

"Yes, I just heard. You did it! Congratulations!" Monica exclaimed.

"Thank God!" Ruby exclaimed again, so excited that she hugged the Bartilson closest to her – who happened to be an uncomfortable Ben. She moved on to hug everyone, while they offered their congratulations.

Ruby ended up hugging Monica last. "Thank you," she whispered, tears of joy in her eyes. "I knew this wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been my supervisor."

"Don't be so sure. You're going to make a great caseworker," Monica replied.

Once the group calmed down, Matthew looked at the angels with a sad frown. "Do you all _have_ to leave? I'm going to miss you."

"Same here. Who's going to get me to do math?" Sarah joked.

Ben chuckled and gave her a quick hug. "Now _that_ takes divine intervention."

"Ben!" Allison chided.

But Sarah laughed. "Hey, he's right."

"I don't know if you need a tutor anymore. You're problem is focusing on the equations, not understanding them," Ruby assured her.

"If you _do_ have to go," Matthew interrupted, glancing at Tess. "Can you visit?"

"We'll try, baby," Tess said as she gave him a reassuring hug.

Ben glanced back at the reception hall. More guests were gathering their belongings and heading for the favors table. "Well, I think we have to go back to the party. Thank you all for everything you've done."

"Yes, thank you, _so_ much," Allison added.

As the rest said their good-byes, Monica couldn't help but be proud when Sarah gave Ruby a fierce hug and was almost crying as she thanked her for everything. Sarah and Ruby had said their individual good-byes during the week though, during the many times when Ruby had come over to help with the wedding.

And soon the angels were once again alone in the backyard. "So this is what finishing an assignment is like, huh?" Ruby said, tears in her own eyes. "I think I like this."

"Good to hear," Monica replied.

But the angels weren't alone for long. Out of a group of potted trees emerged a slightly frazzled and worn-out Gloria. "Hi, everyone."

"I made caseworker!" Ruby blurted, too excited to notice the young angel's demeanor.

Gloria managed a somewhat happy smile. "Congratulations! I knew you would!"

"What's the matter, little one?" Monica asked as she went over and put her arm around the clearly distraught angel.

"I finished my assignment," Gloria explained. "But Scott's still so overwhelmed I feel like I shouldn't leave him. He's in a new place with an aunt he barely knows, and his brother is probably going to get a jail sentence."

Monica gave her a sympathetic frown. "Don't worry, Gloria. You did all you can for Scott. Now he has to figure things out on his own. If he needs you, God will send you to him again."

"I guess," Gloria sighed.

Tess got up from the bench she had been sitting on. "Well, I guess this means I'm going to be going back home."

"But wait!" Gloria exclaimed, suddenly more worried than upset. "Monica _is_ my supervisor again, right? Then…"

"Yeah, who _is_ my supervisor?" Ruby interrupted, suddenly struck with the idea herself.

Monica smiled knowingly, but first glanced at Tess…only to see that the older angel was also curious. "Well, I won't keep you in suspense," she said, then stuck out her other hand for Ruby to shake. "Say hello to your new supervisor."

"What?"

"What?"

"_What_?" Gloria exclaimed. "But…"

"_Two_ caseworkers?" Tess questioned after she'd figured it out.

Monica nodded happily. "Yes. Apparently, God thinks that I'm the only supervisor in Heaven who can handle Ruby," she explained with an amused laugh.

"So we'll be sharing Monica?" Gloria asked. She didn't sound completely happy about the idea.

Ruby laughed as she moved away from Monica to put an arm around Gloria's shoulders. "Yeah! We'll be like sisters!"

"Sisters…" Gloria muttered as she considered the idea. Then she nodded and put an arm around Ruby's shoulders. "Okay!"

Monica laughed and stared in disbelief at who were now her _two_ charges. Since she just received the news herself, it was only beginning to dawn on her how much more complicated her supervisor duties from then on. "Oh, boy. Our next assignment together should be…interesting, to say the least."

"You got that right, angel girl," Tess agreed as she gave Monica a hug good-bye.

Much like Matthew had before, Monica looked up at Tess with pleading eyes. "Do you _have_ to go?"

Tess only laughed as the group of angels disappeared, and a white dove flew over the reception hall.


End file.
